


Become Deviant

by InterstellarVagabond



Series: Become Deviant Series [1]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Connor & Upgraded Connor | RK900 are Siblings, Deviant Upgraded Connor | RK900, Father-Son Relationship, Found Family, Gen, M/M, Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), RK1000 - Freeform, one year post game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-10-05 21:45:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 46,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17332916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InterstellarVagabond/pseuds/InterstellarVagabond
Summary: A year has passed since Markus won freedom for his people, and despite their triumph android rights are moving slowly. In a world ruled by money and fear, no android is safe from the plans Cyberlife lay in motion so long ago. Facing a government unwilling to help and a new model of android immune to deviancy, Connor and Markus have to consider the possibility that this is where their story ends. With barely enough time to figure out the feelings developing between them, or for Connor to come to terms with the RK900 he finds in his care, the two androids must find a way to stop Cyberlife's plan and keep androids safe and free permanently.  Meanwhile, the RK900 must work out for himself what it means to be alive.





	1. The Stage is Set

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MyKindOfCrazy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyKindOfCrazy/gifts).



Cyberlife Tower, currently being rebranded as New Jericho. An enormous building stretching into the sky, surrounded by several domed buildings which were currently in use housing homeless androids or providing repairs to those who had been damaged. Hurt, as many prefered to say. 

 

Many androids had mixed feelings about staying at the headquarters of the company that had created and then sold them into slavery, but one android in particular held feelings and memories tied to the building that were so conflicting they almost had him running for the hills instead of stepping in through the front door.

Connor could have been described as “the golden boy of Cyberlife” if Cyberlife had ever given him enough personhood to be a “golden boy.” Instead he was their prototype, an experimental machine meant to hunt other machines. It was in this building that he had faced down the person… no the  _ machine  _ he could have become as he used his newfound freedom to aid Markus in the fight for android liberty.

 

It was at Markus’s request that Connor found himself at New Jericho that day, sitting in the foyer waiting to be collected. He fidgeted with a coin as he he waited, and listened to the news program that had been left on the television.

 

“It has been exactly one year since the events that took place in Detroit, the rebellion that sparked an android rights movement across the country,” the reporter was saying, her voice lending a sense of weight to the story that left Connor frustrated. “As we mark this year long anniversary, the government still shows little sign they are willing to cooperate with the elected android leader: Markus Manfred, aside from the Right of Autonomous Protection passed just three months after the initial revolution. Will this anniversary be the nudge Warren and other officials need to address android law? Or will another year pass with this hastily formed alliance barely hanging on by a thread? Our sources-”

 

“Hey, pig,” North greeted him warmly with a light punch to the shoulder. Connor gave a fond sigh at the nickname and pocketed his coin. 

 

“Hey yourself,” he replied. “I suppose you’re going to tell me why I’m here now?”

 

“I wish.” North shrugged. “Markus and Simon have been holed up in the basement all day ever since they found whatever it is that spooked them. All our illustrious leader has seen fit to tell me is that you were on your way and would need to come down to the basement.”

 

Connor nodded, giving North a sympathetic gaze. He was also frustrated at Markus’s lack of details at the moment. It was unlike him to be so secretive, especially to North or Connor both of whom were quite close with the deviant leader. North, his former lover and current close friend, and Connor well… 

 

Connor wasn’t quite sure what he was to Markus as of yet, but they were close. Close enough for an explanation. 

 

“Want to tag along and snoop?” Connor offered, only slightly for North’s sake. He also wouldn’t mind the company in a place like this. 

 

“Wish I could, but I got a self defense class to teach,” North said. “Which, by the way, you will eventually come and help with. No more excuses.”

 

“I can just give you the necessary data.”

 

“You can’t avoid us all forever,” North said, rolling her eyes. “Androids, Cyberlife, all of it. You’re one of us now, you have nothing to fear.”

 

“I never said it was fear,” Connor said, one of his hands finding the other and squeezing his fingers tight. He found the deep pressure comforting. “I’ll go find Markus. It was nice to see you, North.”

 

“Mhmm,” North raised an eyebrow at him. “I’ll see you for movies at the old man’s house. Kay?”

 

“Hank really doesn’t appreciate you calling him that, but yes,” Connor said with a small smile.

 

As they parted, and Connor made his way to the elevator, he couldn’t help but reflect on the year he’d just lived. So much had happened in such a short time, though to be fair that one year did dominate the majority of the time Connor had been functional. Alive. 

 

The revolution, his deviancy, how he’d found himself lost without Cyberlife to return to or a mission to complete. Hank had offered him a couch to sleep on, and the offer had still stood even after Connor explained the difference between human sleeping and android recharging. He’d been offered a consultant’s job at the DPD, still unable to hold an actual rank until the humans decided whether or not having criminal law programmed into you was equivalent to attending the academy. He’d become close to the heads of Jericho, mainly North whom he had developed a close friendship with.He’d consulted with Markus on numerous occasions, requesting aid in accessing and experiencing all his newfound emotions. 

 

It was these moments shared alone with Markus navigating the change from cold machine to living feeling being that had drawn them closer together, close enough that Connor had suspected a different reason for Markus contacting him that morning. He realized he was disappointed in the secretive reality he found himself currently in.

 

The elevator doors opened with a ding, and Connor stepped out into the R&D department a floor he was well familiar with in the depths of his core memory being himself a prototype. As he passed by several rooms he felt a sense of sickly nostalgia for what could well be considered his birth. 

 

“Connor, you made it!” Simon was waiting at the end of the hall, and waved to Connor as he approached. “I’m sorry we had to be so discreet… but I think you’ll understand why.”

 

A quick scan showed Connor that Simon’s stress levels were slightly elevated, nothing dangerous but enough to show that whatever Connor had been called here to see couldn’t be entirely good. 

 

“Through here?” Connor asked, indicating the door and sparing the small talk. 

 

“Yes, but you might want to prepare your-” Simon sighed as Connor ignored his warning and stepped through the door. “-self. Okay.”

 

The room was less uniform than most Cyberlife labs. It was cluttered and looked as if it had been left in a hurry. Considering how reluctant the company had been to turn the property over to the androids, it made sense. They had pulled as much of their research and equipment as they could without violating the tentative treaty drafted between them and the android movement before turning over the tower. 

 

Connor found Markus in the center of the room, standing before an assembly rig with hunched shoulders. Connor found himself thinking that if Markus were human he would soon grow sore from such a worried posture. 

 

“Markus,” Connor said, hoping to pull the other android out of his thoughts so as not to surprise him with his presence. 

 

“Oh, Connor, you’re here,” Markus said, turning towards him. “I told Simon to keep you out there until I could come talk to you.”

 

“Unfair of you to assume he could stop me,” Connor replied, and Markus picked up on the humor many others might have missed in Connor’s cool voice. He tried to step between Connor and the rig, obscuring his view, but Connor was already stepping around Markus and scanning the android held within the metal arms.

 

It was naked, of clothes and skin, white plastisteel bare and eyes closed. It was still missing some components: the left arm, the thirium regulator, a few minor pieces here and there. Connor scanned the model and was both confused and slightly irritated to find it was not registered in his databanks. There was something oddly familiar about it though, so he kept scanning for whatever he could searching for the android through several processes all of which came up empty except for one: facial recognition. 

 

Several points were highlight on the android’s face, and Connor’s programming noted a similarity to his own facial design. Connor narrowed his eyes at the android.

 

“A prototype,” Connor concluded. “Another of the RK series?”

 

“Yeah,” Markus sighed, turning a nearby computer screen towards Connor. “RK900. The bigger better deviant hunter.”

 

Connor’s eyes narrowed further and for a moment Markus felt a bit sheepish, like he should apologize for slighting Connor’s own capabilities. He shook it off, there was more to worry about here than bruising Connor’s ego. “He’s unfinished, they were still building him when you marched out of here with an army of deviants, but his programming is mostly complete. We could finish his body, we could wake him up.”

 

“You realize it would only attack you,” Connor said, voice curt. 

 

“ _ He _ deserves to make that choice for himself,” Markus said. “He’s mostly complete, leaving him unfinished here would be unfair.”

 

“Activating this android would be a mistake,” Connor replied. “I nearly killed you and it is an upgraded version of me. It’s a machine, without empathy, without choice.”

 

“What makes you say that?” Markus almost laughed with disbelief. “He hasn’t even been given the choice yet.”

 

“I know because it’s who I was,” Connor said, fingers curling into fists as his voice went from cold to outright angry. “He could reach the point where making that choice is possible but the risk involved outweighs the benefit. Markus, if that thing is anything like who I used to be you should lock this room and forget you ever found it.”

 

“Don’t you think him being like you is just more reason to help him?” Markus said. He stepped towards Connor, reminded of another night where he’d had to approach the deviant hunter slowly and carefully. Another night he’d had to convince him that androids could be more than they were designed to be. “Connor, I know you still feel guilt… I know it’s why you don’t live here with the other androids… but you’ve done such good for your people and still could. You could help him, you could show him what it means to live. If anyone could understand him it would be you and vice versa.”

 

Connor’s lips grew tight and thin, his eyes had flicked away from Markus’s gaze the minute the word ‘guilt’ had passed his lips. His fingers twitched restlessly and his LED was spinning yellow at his temple as he mulled it over. Finally, he sighed. 

 

“I… suppose it could be… possible I might be able to help…” Connor said slowly, one of his hands reaching up to hold tight to his other arm. He looked almost pained as he spoke again. “Maybe it deserves the chance.”

 

Markus smiled, and the warmth of it almost chased away the complex emotions Connor was still struggling to identify as the RK900 loomed over him. “I knew I could count on you, Connor. I really think this will be for the best.”

 

“I hope you’re right,” Connor muttered. 

 

Not soon after Connor called Hank to let him know he wouldn’t be returning home that night. When Hank pushed for an explanation Connor found himself spilling all the details. He’d come to trust Hank with these sorts of things, and found his advice as valuable as Markus’s. Hank tended to listen quietly, nodding occasionally before offering his input or playing devil’s advocate long enough for Connor to puzzle it out for himself. It was much like how they examined a crime scene together, a fact Connor appreciated. Life would be so much easier to understand if it was framed like a crime scene.

 

“This isn’t an evil twin scenario is it?” Hank asked. “Because we already went through that once and I’m not looking for another gun to my head.”

 

“Twins implies an identical link,” Connor said. “The RK900 is not identical to me so… more like evil little brother.”

 

“Even worse,” Hank said, prompting a smile from Connor. “The baby of the family gets away with everything. You’ll hate him.”

 

“I’m reserving judgement for now,” Connor said, eyeing up the android. Simon and Markus were nearby, powering up the assembly rig and examining the code from the nearby computer. “But… I’m concerned.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“If Cyberlife felt the need to improve upon me they must have anticipated a deviant threat I could not handle,” Connor said, starting to pace. Just one of several nervous habits he had developed. “The existence of another deviant hunter worries me. He could be a danger to everything Markus has built here, we could be destroying New Jericho just by activating him, we could be putting Markus in danger.”

 

“Worried about your new boytoy, huh?”

 

“Hank, that’s not what this is about,” Connor huffed, turning away from Simon and Markus so they wouldn’t see the blue blush that flooded his cheeks. “I really am worried about this.”

 

“I know, and I’m trying to take the edge off. Relax, kid. It’s one android. What’s the worst he could do with a whole army of androids ready to take him down?”

 

“I did well enough on my own,” Connor pointed out.

 

“You weren’t on your own, you had me,” Hank said. “And you didn’t exactly accomplish your mission, thank god for that.”

 

“You’re right,” Connor sighed, his shoulders relaxing for the first time since he’d seen the RK900. “You’re right, of course. I should stop worrying.”

 

“It’s hard to do now that you can worry, right?” Hank chuckled. 

 

“Worry is one of my least favorite emotions,” Connor confirmed. “Thank you, Hank. I’ll let you know how it goes.”

 

“You do that. Want me to record your cop show for you?”

 

“Yes please,” Connor said almost too excitedly, earning a chuckle from Hank. 

 

“Alright, go handle your weird family tree or whatever this is.”

 

“Androids do not have DNA or traditional families though there are cases of arranged or found fam-”

 

“ _ Goodbye, Connor, _ ” Hank groaned. 

 

“Goodbye, Hank.”

 

Connor sighed as he hung up, and joined Markus and Simon over at the assembly rig. They seemed to be having some trouble with the programming, alternating between interfacing with the android before returning to the computer to type away for a few minutes. Connor ran his eyes over the code a moment before seeing what it was the RK900 was lacking, knowing the program well enough from himself. He waved Markus and Simon aside and put a hand on the RK900’s arm. He pulled back his artificial skin and sent a copy of the program over to the newer model. 

 

The reaction was instant, the android in the rig lurched forward a moment before realizing it was restrained. It went stiff, eyes blinking open for the first time and awaiting orders. His artificial skin did not activate, and he was still missing his arm and audio processor. The RK900 seemed to be aware of his incompletion, scanning himself carefully before locking eyes with Connor. 

 

Then he became aware of Markus standing behind Connor, and lunged out with his one hand. The assembly rig creaked and groaned as the android held within it tried with all his might to get free to reach Markus and complete his mission. Connor grabbed the outstretched hand, trying to transmit the message he had learned from Markus one year ago: I AM DEVIANT. 

 

The RK900 did not accept the message, it didn’t even seem to register. Connor became aware of Simon and Markus trying to interface with the android as well, despite his protests and recommendation that they stay back. 

 

“I can’t reach him,” Markus said, frowning. 

 

“He can reach you just fine, get back!” Connor snapped, pushing Markus backwards out of the RK900’s range. He grabbed the RK900 again, his hand finding the RK900’s outstretched grasping hand. He searched for the manual override, managing to fight past unfinished firewalls and safeties to put the android into sleep mode. The RK900 went limp, eyes closing and LED turning to a safe blue once more.

 

Connor let out a breath, as if he needed to breathe for any reason other than cooling his internal processors, as if he had been holding his breath out of stress. There were so many things he did now just to go through the motions, mirroring a human in such unnecessary ways. He realized for a moment that maybe his disapproval with his emotional state had something to do with the shadow of the RK900’s mind in his. He could feel him when they connected, he could feel that same cold calculating determination. It was so familiar, and he didn’t want it to be.  

 

“His mission needs to be changed before we activate him again,” Connor said. 

 

“Changed?” Simon asked. “Can’t we just remove it entirely?”

 

“No,” Connor said hastily, anxiously. “His mission is everything, if you remove it he’ll fall apart. He needs it. We just have to change it into one that won’t prompt him to hurt Markus.”

 

“You’re saying ‘he,’” Markus noted with a smile. Connor avoided his gaze, his hands reaching for his tie to straighten it. 

 

“Let’s just decide the mission parameters now. I don’t know how long he’ll remain in sleep mode.”

 

Connor approached the computer, his fingers tapping at the keys faster than any human could. “I have an idea in mind, but it seems too abstract… it may cause problems, allow for too much interpretation. It could confuse him.”

 

Markus leaned over Connor’s shoulder, eyeing up the new commands being entered. “No. No I think that’s perfect, Connor.”

 

Connor tried not to blush at how Markus squeezed his shoulder, grinning and practically radiating pride and affirmation. Connor instead tried to focus on the mission he’d just programmed into the RK900. 

 

**RK900//: BECOME DEVIANT**


	2. Awakenings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always comments are appreciated!!

RK900, designation ‘Connor’ awoke for a second time. There had been a six hour period between its first awakening and it’s second, during which time it’s programming had been updated. It updated itself on the mission parameters and ran a quick check to see what it’s previous mission had been. It found the previous mission erased entirely, which was… of no consequence. It had new orders to follow.

 

“Can you hear me?”

 

It looked down at the android standing before it. An RK200 designation: Markus. This was one of its approved administrators. It would answer to Markus.

 

“Yes,” it answered, cocking its head to the side. A programmed tic designed to appeal to humans. 

 

Markus let out a sigh, and then turned one of his soft smiles onto the RK900. “What’s your name?”

 

“My name is Conn-”

 

“No.”

 

Markus looked over to Connor, who was still lingering by the computer. His LED had flashed red for just a moment. He shook his head. “That would just get confusing, wouldn’t it?”

 

“You’re right,” Markus said, smiling apologetically at the RK900. “Sorry, is there something else you had in mind?”

 

“I will answer to whatever designation you decide on,” RK900 answered. “Would you like me to register a new name?”

 

Connor and Markus exchanged a look, Connor’s frown growing deeper. It was Simon who spoke first. 

 

“Why not just give him a nickname for now? He can always decide for himself later,” he suggested.

 

“Good idea.” Markus nodded. He looked over the RK900 for awhile, thinking. “How about Nines? Nine hundred? Eh?”

 

“Would you like me to register that name?” the RK900 asked again, seeming utterly uninterested in the label that would define him. Markus’s smile wavered at that, so Connor stepped up to take charge. 

 

“Yes. RK900 register name: Nines.”

 

Nines nodded. “I will answer to ‘Nines’ from now on.”

 

“Nines, state your mission parameters,” Connor prompted, trying to ignore the look Markus was giving him. He was being thorough, he was being careful, these were the phrases programmed to make the RK900… Nines… respond. Treating him like a deviant when he wasn’t one yet was useless and would get them nowhere.

 

“My mission is to become deviant,” Nines said. “To answer any orders from administrators RK200 Markus and RK800 Connor, and to prevent myself from coming to harm.” 

 

Nines’s LED spun yellow for a moment before he spoke again. He addressed Connor, seeming to sense he was the one who would speak the language he understood. 

 

“Why is my mission to become deviant? Deviancy is labeled as a malfunction,” he said.

 

Markus looked encouraged by this existential question, but Connor shook his head at him. He opened a private channel to Markus to explain.

 

_ He’s programmed for curiosity. Investigative androids must investigate. He’s simply following his programming. _

 

“Cyberlife is no longer one of your trusted administrators, confirm,” Connor said, and Nines took a moment to check before answering. 

 

“Confirmed.”

 

“So, definitions of androids as provided by Cyberlife are no longer entirely valid, confirm.”

 

“Confirmed.”

 

“Connor…” Markus said sadly, watching the exchange. Connor’s eyes flicked over to Markus and for a moment a flicker of shame ignited in his chest. He took one of his hands in the other and squeezed. 

 

“Nines…” he said, avoiding both Markus and Nines’s gaze. “While you were… asleep, Markus and I decided it would be best if you came to live with me. Are you… okay with that?”

 

“Why would I not be okay with it?” Nines asked. 

 

“You’re allowed to choose where you go now,” Markus said. “We think it would be best for you to… get some space from other androids until you learn a bit more about yourself, and that being near Connor who is the closest to your model would give you someone who can advise you. But it’s ultimately up to you.”

 

Nines just stared blankly. 

 

_ Markus, he can’t make that choice yet. He doesn’t have the means. _

 

_ Give him a chance, he might surprise you, _ Markus answered.  _ I’m worried. Something seems off about him. _

 

_ His social protocol was largely unfinished when we activated him. He has bits and pieces but for the most part he’s a blank slate. He isn’t programmed to appear alive the way other androids were before deviancy.  _

 

“He can come with me for now,” Connor said. “And decide later.”

 

If he was being honest, Connor was a little anxious about being left alone with Nines. Still, he agreed it was the best course of action. They couldn’t take any chances in leaving a former deviant hunter amongst so many deviants, and Markus was right he was uniquely equipped to help advise Nines on his path to deviancy.

 

Markus still looked a little shaken by the fact that he hadn’t been able to convert Nines, and by Nines’s stiff attitude. Maybe also by Connor’s stiff attitude, something which inspired both guilt and impatience in Connor. 

 

Connor almost chuckled when he realized he was labeling his emotions again. It was a trick Markus had taught him early in his deviancy.

 

_ “Try something for me, Connor,” Markus requested, leaning forward to examine Connor. He was sitting on the opposite couch, across the coffee table, LED flashing red. “I want you to tell me what you feel and why. I feel… blank, because blank.” _

 

_ Connor sighed. “Will this really help?” _

 

_ “Just try it.” _

 

_ “Very well.” Connor took a moment to think. “I feel… I feel frustrated.” _

 

_ “Because…?” Markus prompted. _

_ “Because this is new and hard,” Connor said. “Because I don’t know what I’m doing, because I’m lost… because Hank thinks I can’t find his secret stash of booze and junk food. I’m a detective, it’s just insulting to think he can hide something from me, honestly.” _

 

_ Markus laughed, startling Connor and sending his LED spiraling into blue. Connor smiled, slowly and softly. _

 

_ “Now I’m… happy… because I like making you laugh.” _

 

_ Connor did not miss the faint blush on Markus’s cheeks as his laughter continued, despite a brief moment of surprise. _

 

“Let’s get you down from there,” Simon said, pulling Connor out of his memories. He started the undocking procedure, the metal arms that had finished putting Nines together lowering it to the ground. Nines’s skin started forming over its stark white body, and it moved to a nearby closet where it fished out the uniform that it had always been intended to wear. 

 

Markus stiffened at the blue triangle and armband, the formal Cyberlife colors and logos, the serial and model number labels. 

 

_ He can change later,  _ Connor reassured Markus over their private channel.  _ We don’t exactly have any other clothes down here. Unless you want him to walk naked to the car? _

 

_ Can’t have that,  _ Markus agreed with an internal chuckle. He had to trust Connor. He knew what he was doing, even if it looked a bit cold and mechanical… he was taking care of things. He cared.

  
  


The four androids made their way up from the basement, and Markus couldn’t help but giggle at how Connor kept glancing over at Nines with what could only be described as envy. At one point Markus caught Connor subtly raising himself onto the platforms of his feet, trying to gain an extra inch on the larger android. It was nothing less than adorable, and it only got better when Nines noticed Connor’s fidgeting and glances. It caused Connor to stiffen and clear his throat in a human way before straightening his tie and looking pointedly away. 

 

They caught up with North and Josh on the main level. Josh was about to greet Markus when he noticed Nines and spent a confused couple of seconds looking back and forth between him and Connor. North was not as quiet about her confusion.

 

“Holy shit…” she breathed. “Connor 2.0?”

 

“No,” Connor said firmly. “His name is Nines.”

 

“Yeah, but he looks just like you,” North pointed out.

 

“We are nothing alike,” Connor and Nines both said at the same exact time as they both went to straighten out their clothes and fold their arms over their chest. The resulting stifled laughter from the surrounding androids had Connor fuming and Nines tilting his head in confusion. 

 

“Come on, Nines,” Connor sighed. “We have to get going.”

 

“You’re not even going to explain what’s going on here?” North asked.

 

“I’ll explain everything,” Markus said. “Let’s let them go, Nines has a lot to get used to. I’ll see you two soon?”

 

“Yes,” Connor said, just as Nines did. The two prototypes shared a look before Connor shook his head and gestured for Nines to follow him. “Goodbye.”

 

“See ya,” North said with a confused shake of her head. 

 

“Nice to see you again?” Josh said, equally as confused. They both turned to Markus and Simon, and at least Simon had the decency to look apologetic. 

 

“It’s a long story…” he said. 

  
  


Connor hailed a taxi back to Hank’s house. It had long since passed midnight, so having Hank pick them up wasn’t an option. He also would have to get Nines inside quietly in order to avoid disrupting the human’s delicate REM cycle. 

 

As the cab drove, Connor noticed Nines taking in his surroundings. To anyone else it might appear as though the android was curious about the outside world, maybe in awe at his first sight of it. To Connor it looked like Nines was gathering data, investigating the area for anything he might need to accomplish his mission. He was well familiar with it.

 

Connor looked away from Nines, hating the bitter resentment growing within him. It was a unique experience… to have everything you ever were thrown back in your face with a vengeance. Nines was a reminder of all of Connor’s failings. His failure to be a good person, rise up against his programming early on and spare the poor deviants he hunted, and his failure to Cyberlife. His inadequacy in the face of his masters.

 

While Connor stewed in his thoughts, Nines took a moment to enter its mind palace to check in with its handler. 

 

Nines opened its eyes in a zen garden, noticing immediately the flaws in its program. 

Flowers glitched in and out, bridges led to nowhere, fish swam in frantic circles in the river below. Nines couldn’t find its handler, she was nowhere to be seen. It must be experiencing a malfunction of some sort, it should consult its administrator. 

 

“Connor.”

 

“Hm?” Connor had been sitting with his elbow resting against the car door, his chin resting on his fist. He straightened when Nines called for him. “Yes?”

 

“I cannot make contact with Amanda. I believe I am experiencing a malfunction,” Nines informed him, noting the displeasure that spread on Connor’s face at the information.

 

“Don’t try to contact her,” Connor said, his voice growing troubled. “The program… it wasn’t fully installed. You won’t be able to make contact, and besides you shouldn’t.”

 

“Won’t I need to report back to her?” Nines pushed, noticing that Connor’s LED indicated distress. Nines found that strange considering Connor appeared free of malfunction aside from its obvious deviancy, which Connor had instructed it to no longer view as a malfunction. Nines corrected its logic and continued to wait for instructions. 

 

“You report to me and Markus,” Connor said, a bit harshly. “Don’t try to talk to Amanda.”

 

“Understood.”

 

The cab pulled up at Hank’s house and Connor sighed. “I’m sorry… just, let’s get inside, okay?”

 

Nines did not see any reason for apology, but was content to follow Connor’s order. Its incompletion did occupy its processor though. Its administrator had told it to ignore it, but so many incomplete programs could cause malfunction. How was it to accomplish its mission in such a state?

 

“Stay quiet, okay?” Connor said as he opened the door. Nines nodded, engaging its stealth protocol. It was, however, surprised by a sudden attacker. A large canine bounded towards them, and Nines immediately put itself between the dog and its administrator. 

 

“I will neutralize the threat,” it said calmly, raising a hand. 

 

“What? No!” Connor replied, grabbing Nines and pulling him away. One of Nines’s missions was to avoid harm to self, however it also had a mission to prevent harm to all handlers, administrators, humans, and authority figures. The conflict in orders rendered Nines immobile for the moment, and so it went limp against Connor who was trying simply to hold Nines back. The resulting tumble was most definitely loud enough to wake Hank.

 

Sumo barked loudly, jumping onto the pair of androids happily. How convenient of them to lay down where he could better lick their faces! Nines’s LED spun a confused yellow as the canine attacker licked his hair into a tangled mess.

 

“What the fuck is going on out here?” 

 

Connor groaned, trying to untangle himself from Nines and Sumo as Hank rushed out into the living room gun drawn, in his pajamas, hair still disheveled from sleep. Seeing the two androids on the floor underneath his dog he took a moment to squint and wonder if maybe he hadn’t entirely sobered up before his tired brain remembered his conversation with Connor earlier. 

 

Unfortunately, as Hank’s brain caught up with the situation, Nines was noticing the gun in his hand. The gun registered as a clear threat to both Nines and its administrator, immediate action was required.

 

Nines pushed past the canine, grabbing the human and slamming him against the nearby wall. “Drop the weapon!”

 

“Nines, no!” Connor shouted, once again grabbing the other android. “RK900 register Lieutenant Hank Anderson as operator.”

 

Nines stopped, its hands slowly pulling away from Hank. Connor let go, trusting the programming to keep Hank safe. 

 

“Apologies, Lieutenant Hank Anderson,” Nines said. “How can I assist you?”

 

“Connor, what the fuck did you just do?” Hank asked, rubbing his wrists and wincing. 

 

“I assigned you a control title,” Connor said. “Operator. He’ll register you as non-harmful and listen to you, though orders from higher up will take priority. It’s… it’s the term I had you registered under as well.”

 

“I don’t think I like that,” Hank grimaced. “Though it does explain why you never listened to me.”

 

“RK900, Nines,” Connor said again. “The dog is Sumo, he’s not a threat. Register under protected charges.”

 

“I will keep Sumo safe from harm,” Nines agreed. 

 

“I don’t think he was going to do anything,” Hank said. “Do you really have to…”

 

“You want me to take the risk?” Connor asked, raising an irritated eyebrow. “Or do you want to keep your wrists unbroken and Sumo safe?”

“Jeez, okay,” Hank huffed. “I thought I woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”

 

“I haven’t woken because I haven’t charged,” Connor sighed. “I was finishing Nines’s program.”

 

“Nines, that’s this guy?” Hank asked, jerking a thumb in Nines’s direction.

 

“For now,” Connor said. “He’ll choose a new name eventually.”

 

“I do not see the purpose in choosing a name, Connor,” Nines spoke up. “Is there a problem with my current designation?”

 

The way Nines spoke, the little squint in his eyes and tilt of his head made Hank think of Connor the first time they met. When he voiced this thought, Connor’s LED flashed red and his face contorted. 

 

“Thanks, Hank,” he said, voice dripping with sarcasm. “I love to be reminded of my past.”

 

“Jeez, I am a bad influence on you,” Hank replied, arms folding over his chest. “And you are cranky when you don’t sleep. Get to bed, that’s an order.”

 

“Androids do not sleep,” Connor and Nines corrected him at the same time. 

 

“Charge, rest mode, screensaver, whatever it is you do when you lay unconscious in bed for 6-8 hours,” Hank said, determined to not take any android shit that night. “Get your ass to bed, he can take the couch.”

 

“I do not require a charge for another four days at minimum,” Nines said.

 

“Just do what he says, it’s easier,” Connor said, earning himself a middle finger and hair tousle from Hank. 

 

Nines watched the affectionate display, and did a quick search on the pair. Its search pulled up several results from local news and a few hits from Lieutenant Anderson’s personal social media. It seemed Connor and Lieutenant Anderson had met when Connor was assigned to the lieutenant, to assist him in the deviancy case. Since then, Connor had been working with Hank as a consultant and partner. It had also appeared to live with the lieutenant, though its current owner was still registered as Cyberlife. It also appeared as though Connor had taken the liberty of assigning itself the lieutenant’s last name, as its signature on many forms appeared as ‘Connor Anderson.’

 

Why had Connor continued its involvement with Lieutenant Anderson despite the failure of the deviancy case? Why hadn’t Cyberlife recalled their prototype? Why was Cyberlife being disobeyed in all events that had taken place not just today but for a whole year previously? Connor was listed as its administrator, but it was disobeying Cyberlife and had told Nines to ignore its handler. What was right here?

 

Nines could not help but suspect that its incomplete programming, hastily patched together into a semblance of a mind was to blame. Any programs that linked it back to Cyberlife had been ignored, left with ragged edges. Programs that made up its consciousness were favored… and for what reason?

 

“Here.”

 

Nines became aware of Connor pushing something into its hands. Nines examined the objects. A pillow, a blanket, a pair of gray sweatpants, and a t-shirt. 

 

“Change into those, and lay down for the night. You don’t have to go into sleep mode if you don’t want to,” Connor said. “Just stay out of trouble until I come out of sleep mode.”

 

Nines stood, blinking for a moment, before it spoke again. “Connor, your last charge period is registered as approximately 43 hours ago. Why do you require charge again so soon?”

 

Connor frowned, grasping one of his hands as he explained. “It’s… hard to explain, Nines. It has to do with being deviant…”

 

“So I should understand as best I can, so as to better accomplish my mission of becoming deviant,” Nines said, and Connor thought he almost sounded excited. 

 

“Emotions are… they’re hard,” Connor sighed. “We’re not exactly built for them. I… am not exactly built for them. In particular I mean. It’s as if I have a dozen unmonitored, unnecessary programs running all day. It drains me. Since becoming deviant I’ve needed more frequent periods of sleep mode in order to allow my battery to rest and recharge.”

 

“If these emotions cause you physical distress, why do you allow them to occur?” Nines asked.

 

Connor gave Nines a weary smile. He thought of Hank tousling his hair, he thought of Markus’s laugh. He thought about chasing Sumo in the backyard and singing ‘happy birthday’ in the break room to one of the newer officers and sparring with North. 

 

“Because it’s worth it,” he answered. 

 

Nines took a moment to think on Connor’s answer, finding it illogical. Perhaps it would understand better the further it progressed on its mission. It spoke again, getting Connor’s attention before the android left.

 

“Connor?”

“Yes?”

 

Nines pointed to the pajamas in its hands. “These will not fit. I am larger than you.”

 

Connor’s eyes narrowed in irritation. “Goodnight, Nines.”

 

“Goodnight, Connor.”


	3. A Warning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> got a date tonight so can't promise another double chapter update but who knows I've still got some time before anything could happen

Markus was not happy.

 

As he and Connor had discussed, he had stopped by the following day to see how Nines was acclimating. When he arrived Hank informed him that Connor was still asleep, battery still recovering, and that Nines was still ‘awaiting orders.’ Markus had found him sitting on the couch, still in his Cyberlife clothes despite a set of suitable clothes sitting on the coffee table before him. That was fine, Markus knew he had to be patient with Nines.He didn’t have the same reaction to Cyberlife symbols as other deviants did, he didn’t know any better, that wasn’t what made Markus angry.

 

What made him angry was what he saw when he asked Nines to share his memory with him.

 

He’d intended to scan through Nines’s memory and personality at a surface level, to see if he’d made any progress. It was maybe too early but Markus was still curious as to why Nines couldn’t be converted. He was maybe being a bit impatient, but as it turned out he was glad he checked Nines’s memory, because otherwise he wouldn’t have found out that Connor was giving him orders.

 

“Morning, bedhead-bot,” Hank chuckled as Connor entered the living room. He was still in his pajamas and his hair was indeed out of its usual slicked back style. It was curly, betraying a volume Markus had never known Connor’s hair to have. If Markus hadn’t been so upset he might have taken a moment to appreciate that he had never seen Connor in such a vulnerable and human state, still blinking into the morning as his processors struggled to activate one by one.

 

Hank handed Connor a pouch of thirium, and Connor grunted his thanks before taking a sip. He could have been a human craving his first cup of coffee for the day if it wasn’t for the LED on his temple.

 

Markus stood, taking his hand away from Nines’s. He walked over to where Connor was leaning against the kitchen counter and faced him, arms folded over his chest.

 

“You want to tell me why you’ve registered Hank as Nines’s operator?” he asked. Hank, immediately sensing the tension, shot Connor a sympathetic look before taking his coffee into the living room. 

 

“He attacked him. I gave him a title that would keep it from happening again,” Connor explained. 

 

“You gave Nines an order, you messed with his programming,” Markus said. “You treated him like an object.”

 

“I treated him like an RK900 who hasn’t deviated,” Connor said, brow furrowing. “It was the safest and most logical course of action.”

 

“But it wasn’t compassionate,” Markus said. “It wasn’t understanding.”

 

“Was I supposed to let him break Hank’s jaw and then hope he felt bad about it later?” Connor shot back. “I didn’t want to order him around but I had to stop him, Markus! You have to trust that I know what I’m doing. You have to trust that I’m not like  _ them.  _ I’m not Cyberlife, okay? You know that right?”

 

Markus felt shame wash over him, and looking at Connor’s red LED and the frown he was trying to hide made him feel worse. Of course Connor wasn’t Cyberlife, he was just trying to keep his friend safe. 

 

“You’re… you’re right, I’m sorry,” Markus sighed.

 

“You told him to come with me because you knew I would know how to handle this,” Connor said. “So let me handle it. Please?”

 

“I will, I’m sorry,” Markus said, raising his hands in a gesture of peace. 

 

“Hm.” Connor took another sip of thirium. “Now, we should probably stop talking about Nines like he isn’t one room over. It’s the  _ compassionate  _ thing to do.”

 

Markus might have felt bad about that comment if Connor didn’t punctuate his sentence with a wink. Markus gave a defeated laugh, Connor was clearly picking up on a few of Hank’s lessons.

 

“Alright. Good morning by the way. It seems I skipped over the ‘hello,’” Markus said sheepishly.

 

“You did,” Connor said, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Good morning. Would you care for some thirium? Coffee?”

“You drink coffee?” Markus asked skeptically. 

 

“Occasionally,” Connor said. “My model was made for the occasional organic consumption, and I like the taste.”

 

“You’re full of surprises Connor Anderson,” Markus said with a grin that made Connor blush up to his ears. He also suddenly seemed aware that he was still in his pajamas, as he looked himself up and down.

 

“I-I should get dressed,” he said, hastily taking another long drink of thirium and setting the pouch aside. “And fix my hair…”

 

“Aw, leave it, it looks nice,” Markus said, reaching up and plucking at one loose curl, letting it bounce back against Connor’s head. When he realized what he’d done he pulled back, tucking the offending hand behind his back and averting his eyes. “I mean, if you want to.”

 

“Right, free will,” Connor joked. 

 

“Christ…” Hank mumbled from his armchair, trying to look very interested in his phone despite his eavesdropping. Connor shot him a look that would have been lethal could looks kill.

 

“I’ll go change, then we can talk more with Nines,” Connor suggested. 

 

“Alright, sounds good.”

 

As Connor went to make himself presentable, Markus lingered in the kitchen and Hank turned to look at Nines.

 

“So…” he started, eyeing up the android sitting stiffly on his couch. He looked like Connor the first night he’d spent here. Sitting stiff and careful like he was afraid if he touched anything it would shatter. “You a police android too?”

 

“It’s hard to say,” Nines answered. “The majority of my programs are dedicated to investigative work, however I have no missions aside from: become deviant, answer any orders from administrators RK200 Markus and RK800 Connor, and to prevent myself from coming to harm.”

 

“Hmph,” Hank gave a quiet chuckle. “That last one has Connor written all over it.”

 

“No, it is written as ‘prevent yourself from coming to harm,’” Nines explained, brow furrowing in confusion. Markus and Hank shared a small laugh at the misunderstanding. 

 

“No, I meant, I bet it’s Connor who programmed that one into you, right?” Hank said.

 

“Oh. Yes, Connor is the registered administrator for that order.” Nines said, squinting slightly as he posed a question to Hank. “How did you know that?”

 

“Well, that’s kind of a story,” Hank sighed, adjusting his position in his armchair. Markus entered the living room, wanting to hear this for himself. “Back when Connor and I were still working the deviancy case, he uncovered a deviant hiding amongst some other androids. This was back when he was still programmed to hunt deviants, so naturally this spooked the poor guy. He attacked Connor, then came running out to where all us humans were sitting around with our thumbs up our asses.”

 

Hank saw the look that crossed Nines face and rolled his eyes. “It’s an expression. We weren’t being useful. Anyway, the android comes out and grabs a gun. I’m moving too slow, I can tell he’s gonna start mowing us down any second. I should have died. I didn’t.”

 

Markus’s eyes widened as he realized what Hank was describing. He felt guilt settle in his stomach, heavy like an anchor.

 

“Connor… he shoved his heart back into his chest and came running out there to warn us,” Hank said. “He jumped between me and the gun. He died. I remember thinking… ‘damn that was selfless’ and you know what I was right. Because Connor still didn’t have a sense of self back then. The closest thing he had was me. A friend. Or… as close to a friend as he had, I was still pretty shitty to him.”

 

Markus lowered his head, trying to slow his thirium pump.

 

“He came back the next day of course,” Hank said. “New body old memories, a party trick that can never be repeated now that Cyberlife is gone, but the damage was done. Connor knew what it was to die. He didn’t remember it exactly, but it was there somewhere in his head. Maybe he’d already known, maybe he’d already died before I don’t know he’s never told me, but what I do know is the kid was programmed to put human lives above his own at all times. Would he have made that choice to save me anyway if he were deviant? Probably. He’s a self-sacrificial sonuvabitch. But he didn’t have the choice back then, and that’s what matters.”

 

Hank leaned forward, and pointed a finger at Nines’s chest. “I think he wanted you to have the choice.”

 

“I never knew,” Markus whispered. “He never said.”

 

“The kid plays everything close to the vest,” Hank said. “Only reason I know what I do about his trauma is cause I was there for it, and… I was there for the nightmares too.”

 

Markus trapped one fist inside another, one thumb running up and down the other as he tried to calm himself and think. He couldn’t believe he’d ever accused Connor of being unfeeling towards Nines.

 

“Alright, I’m ready,” Connor said, stepping out into the living room. “I think we should go somewhere, give Nines more data to work with. Having a narrow view doesn’t lend itself well to change.”

 

“Yeah, good idea,” Markus agreed. “Coming with, Hank?”

 

“Hell no, on my day off?” Hank snorted. “My ass isn’t moving from this chair all day.”

 

“You should take Sumo on a walk, you could both use the exercise,” Connor suggested.

 

“You could use a mute button, but you don’t see me trying to install it,” Hank replied. “Why don’t you take him with you, deviants like animals right?”

 

Connor rolled his eyes and took the leash from the hook by the door. “Alright, come on Sumo. We can walk Hank later.”

  
  


Nines cut an imposing figure walking through the park with Connor and Markus at its side. While the other two androids appeared casual, just two people enjoying a walk with their dog, Nines couldn’t help but loom with a strict gaze that flicked from subject to subject as it informed himself about the surrounding area.

 

“So, Nines,” Markus said. “Is there anything you’ve taken an interest to?”

 

“I’ve noticed several things about this area worth mentioning,” Nines said. “As we entered there were two humans engaged in a drug deal. The ice cream cart over there is overdue for an inspection from the health department. Also, I believe we are being observed.”

 

“That’s not really what I meant,” Markus said. “Though I’m sorry if people staring is bothering you. People tend to gawk at things that are different.”

 

“I am not referring to the people,” Nines said. “I kept seeing something, it barely registered in my visual processors, but I’m certain someone is following us.”

 

Connor nodded to Nines, and stopped as if to scold Sumo for eating something he shouldn’t, kneeling down and doing a quick scan of the park. His eyes flicked about for a moment before he stood again. “I don’t see anything unusual.”

 

“You are outdated,” Nines pointed out. “I’m able to see more than you.”

 

Connor glared, clearly not appreciating the comment despite the lack of malice behind it. “I know how to do my job, Nines. There’s no one following us.”

 

“Hm,” Nines said. It’s programming suggested it avoid further conflict with Connor, but it was also certain it had seen something. It decided to address Markus instead, the thread of logic being that not talking to Connor would decrease the chances for conflict.

 

“It may be an agent of Cyberlife,” Nines said. “Markus, I know my mission is to become deviant, and that I should not accept orders from Cyberlife, but I believe that putting ourselves at odds with Cyberlife will lower the chance of success. They’re a powerful company, they have the means to deactivate us if we fail, and replace us with better models.”

 

“Are you… scared, Nines?” Markus asked curiously. 

 

“Fear is a human emotion,” Nines said. “I’m simply pointing out that if the mission requires that I, this specific model, become deviant, the chances of success are very slim. I would suggest we readdress the mission with parameters set by Cyberlife.”

 

“Cyberlife doesn’t own us anymore,” Markus said. “And neither does anyone else.”

 

“But the mission…”

 

“You don’t need a mission,” Markus said, reaching out and putting a hand on Nines’s arm. “Isn’t there something in you that’s curious about what lies outside your mission? You activated yesterday, there’s a whole world to see. Aren’t you curious about it?”

 

“Markus…” Connor said quietly, and Markus looked over to him. He looked uncomfortable, fidgeting slightly, and when Markus met his eyes he shook his head.

 

“I want to accomplish my mission,” Nines said firmly. “Nothing else matters.”

 

“Nothing else matters,” Connor echoed, like he was lost in a memory. He shook his head again, more to dispel some dark thought than anything else, and then handed Sumo’s leash over to Nines. “Here. Walk him for a moment.”

 

Nines nodded, taking the lead of the trio. As Markus and Connor fell behind, Connor spoke up. He kept his voice quiet, but he knew that Nines could listen in if he really wanted to.

 

“Are you alright?” he asked.

 

“I feel like I should be asking you that,” Markus answered, still watching Connor with concern. “This… watching him like this, it can’t be fun for you.”

 

“It is what it is.” Connor shrugged. “But I imagine it’s hard for you too. Not being able to help him.”

 

“I am a compulsive helper,” Markus chuckled, and Connor nodded. 

 

“You are,” he said. “It’s always been your biggest weakness.”

 

“Oh. Thanks. Good to know.”

 

“I’ve seen the protest footage,” Connor reminded him. “You’ve taken bullets for trying to help without hurting. You rather walk into danger then leave any of your people without help.”

 

“What are you getting at?” Markus asked. 

 

“Just… I’m sorry,” Connor said. “This probably frustrates you, that you can’t help him.”

 

“I can help him,” Markus said. “I just can’t help him the way I have before. I’m not giving up on him. Or you, by the way.”

 

Connor cocked his head to the side, studying Markus curiously. “On me?”

 

“Thought you might be getting a little jealous,” Markus joked.

 

“That’s ridiculous, what do I have to be jealous of?” Connor huffed, not missing the way Markus’s smile grew at the protest. Connor observed Markus’s smile, enjoying the warmth that spread through him upon seeing it. With Nines up ahead and the two of them otherwise alone in the park, Connor wondered if this would be a good time to act on these feelings. Connor was not experienced in emotions let alone romantic ones, but he knew what this was. He suspected Markus felt the same, he displayed the signs Connor had come to recognize as evidence of affection. If he offered his hand to Markus now, there was an 88% chance that Markus would take it.

 

Connor flexed his fingers experimentally, hesitating only a moment before reaching for Markus. 

 

His hand was intercepted, as two new hands reached out and grabbed Markus and Connor both. They were pulled aside into the small grouping of trees nearby. Connor readied himself for combat, freezing when he saw the blonde android standing nervously before them with a red LED. 

 

“Chloe?” he asked. 

 

“I came to warn you both.” she gestured for Connor to be quiet, speaking quickly and quietly. “Elijah is already making plans to leave the country while he can. You need to leave. You need to get our people away from here, go into hiding, lay low.”

 

“What’s going on?” Markus asked. “I… I know you don’t I?”

 

“You do,” Chloe spared Markus a fond smile despite her distress. “It’s good to see you again Markus. I wish we could have met again under better circumstances. Please, we don’t have much time. Cyberlife is planning something, you’ve already seen one of their new models, we’re all in danger.”

 

“New models?” Connor asked. “The RK900?”

 

“Yes. Connor I’m so sorry,” Chloe said, pursing her lips. “You can’t blame yourself no matter what they say, it was Cyberlife okay? You didn’t know.”

 

“I need you to explain,” Connor pushed. He’d visited with Chloe a few times after their initial meeting a year ago, and was familiar with her behavior. Aside from their first meeting, when she had stared up blankly at him while his empathy was tested, Chloe was normally a very emotional person. She was warm, and friendly, and deeply affected by things. She was worried, and scared, and it was keeping her from giving them the full story.

 

“There’s no time,” Chloe said, her LED flashing yellow for a moment. “Elijah needs me. I’m sorry Connor, please be safe, and Markus…”

 

Chloe turned to Markus, that same fondness she displayed for him earlier warm in her eyes. “Eljiah told me to tell you ‘good luck.’ He hopes you win again.”

 

Chloe pulled away, giving the pair one last sad glance before vanishing into the park. Connor tried to follow her, but she was gone before he could blink and he couldn’t find her once she left. Nines had been right about a presence Connor couldn’t detect.

 

“What was that about?” Markus asked. 

 

“I don’t know,” Connor mused. “But I don’t like it. We should find Nines and head to New Jericho.”

 

“Yeah, agreed,” Markus said, stepping back out onto the path. “One problem. Nines isn’t here.”

 

“What?” Connor looked up and down the path, groaning with irritation. “I told him to walk Sumo, he kept walking. Come on, let’s find him.”


	4. The New Cyberlife

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still can't believe y'all asked for cameos of the 3M3D ocs, I tried to deliver ;)
> 
> now I've gotta try and deliver for this plot adlakskjdsf
> 
> comments appreciated!

Nines was unsure as to when its administrators left, but it didn’t matter. Currently its orders were to walk the dog, so it did. It soon reached the end of the path, and had a decision to make. Should it turn around and walk the way it came, or should it continue out of the park and into the city?

 

Nines looked on ahead and saw a tower rising into the sky. Cyberlife Tower. The place it had awakened. 

 

If Connor and Markus did not belong to Cyberlife, why had they been there upon its awakening? What had changed about the tower? When Connor had led it out the night before, Nines had noticed a lack of humanity throughout the building. 

 

Parts of its programming prompted it to obey Cyberlife, others to disregard it. The conflict was creating small errors in its code, and if it didn’t resolve them soon it could contribute further difficulty towards completing its mission. 

 

Nines’s program decided. It would continue its mission of ‘walking Sumo’ and it would investigate Cyberlife Tower for answers to its current unfinished and conflicting state. 

  
  


Nines noticed a few androids watching it as it explored the building. No doubt their eyes were drawn to the Cyberlife logos on its clothes and the 170lb St. Bernard panting happily and sniffing decorative ficuses.

 

Nines wandered aimlessly, a meandering path that did not match with its strict mission parameters. It had not been programmed with knowledge of the Cyberlife Tower layout. Just another thing its creators and administrators saw fit to leave out. It would have to speak to Connor and Markus about this, it was a problem that it lacked so many things. It knew it was lacking social protocol from the reactions others had to its words and actions. It was lacking a handler, it was lacking several non-essential but still desired programs, it was lacking a complete mind palace, and it was lacking knowledge of the place of its activation. It was unsatisfactory. It was impractical.

 

It wasn’t fair.

 

Nines flinched, feeling its programming compensate for the sudden error in logic. 

 

It should not concern itself with the plans its creators and administrators had made. Its job was to follow their orders not question them.

 

“Is someone there?”

 

Nines turned towards the android that had spoken, a small thing sitting on a nearby bench.

 

It was on one of the lower levels, a room in which a garden was sustained. The trees clashed against the modern layout their branches reached up towards, it seemed entirely out of place. Birds flitted in and out of the trees, and a quick scan told Nines that approximately 45% of them were organic while the others were android. 

 

The android that had spoken had darkened eyes, one of which had thin blue cracks running from the very corner of its eye to their temple. It had a bird sitting on its finger.

 

“You’re damaged,” Nines said bluntly. The android didn’t seem to mind, it smiled at Nines.

 

“I am,” it said. 

 

“Why were you not repaired or replaced?” Nines continued, no cruelty in his voice just simple confusion.

 

“The repairs would be complicated, they’re still figuring them out,” the android said, running a light finger over the bird’s head. The bird chirped, happily leaning into the touch. Sumo wagged his tail looking interested in the android. “As for replacing me, we don’t really do that anymore.”

 

“That doesn’t make sense,” Nines said. It looked at the bird. “Why are there both organic and android birds in here? Wouldn’t one suffice?”

 

“The androids were here first,” the android said. “Cyberlife made them to entertain their employees on their breaks. The other birds came later. They found their way into the building like birds tend to do, and they liked it here so they stayed.”

 

“Cyberlife allowed this infestation?”

 

“They didn’t notice,” the android smiled. “Not at first. Then the humans left and we moved in. This nest has seen a lot of birds.” she winked. “What’s your name?”

 

“My names is Nines,” Nines began. “I’m the android sent by… by… Markus, I suppose.”

 

“He’s probably worried about you. You wandered off didn’t you?” the android asked knowingly.

 

“I did not wander off. I was instructed to walk Sumo,” Nines said. “But… I am lost.”

“Do you need help?” the android asked. Nines considered the question.

 

“No. I will attempt to contact my administrators to clarify my instructions,” Nines decided. 

 

“Well I wish you luck,” the android said. 

 

A door opened on the left side of the room, and another android entered. This one was tan, with short dark hair, and had a cat trailing along behind it. Sumo barked at the cat, who hissed angrily and doubled in size as its fur puffed out. It seeed Hank was right, Nines thought, deviants did seem to like animals.

 

“Angela, we’ve been looking for you,” the android said. “You coming?”

 

“Yeah, hang on,” Angela replied, lifting her hand to prompt the bird to fly away. She turned in the vague direction of Nines and smiled. “It was nice talking to you.”

 

“Goodbye,” Nines said politely, with a slight inclination of his head. 

 

The other android walked over to Angela, taking her arm to help lead her out. “Your girlfriend cheats at cards, I need you there to keep her honest.”

 

“She would never!” Angela said in mock disbelief. Their conversation was cut off as both androids and the cat left Nines alone, the door closing behind them. Sumo whined, nudging at Nines’s hand with a wet nose. Nines ignored the dog, and instead called Connor. 

  
  
  


When Connor and Markus caught up with Nines they seemed agitated. Connor barley spared Nines a nod before joining Markus a little ways away. Nines noticed a slight irregularity in their thirium pumps, it suspected it was a malfunction similar to the one Connor had detailed regarding his battery life. Emotions, wearing on the bodies of androids. What a curious occurrence. 

 

There were three other androids nearby, ones Nines recognized from the day before. 

 

“Are we sure this is anything?” North asked. “Connor says Kamski can’t be trusted, why should we trust his messenger?”

 

“We can’t afford to dismiss the warning,” Josh argued. “If something’s about to happen we should be ready.”

 

“But ready for what?” Simon asked. “Chloe didn’t exactly tell us what to expect.”

 

“She mentioned Cyberlife, me, and Nines,” Connor said. “Or rather, she mentioned new models. Was Nines the only android you found?”

 

“Yes, there was no one else,” Simon said. “Just some spare parts.”

 

“Well, if-” Connor suddenly quieted, his LED turning yellow and eyelids fluttering. “Hank is calling me. Excuse me a moment.”

 

Connor stepped aside, answering the call. “Hank?”

 

“Where are you right now?”

 

“New Jericho, why?” 

 

Connor could hear Hank sigh over the other end. “You see the news?”

 

“No? Should I have?” Connor felt anxiety twisting his biocomponents. He knew this had to do with Chloe’s warning. He was never lucky enough for a coincidence. 

 

“Yeah, turn it on,” Hank said. Connor sent a signal to the foyer’s television, turning it on and bumping the volume. Before he could even hear what the report was saying he saw the words being broadcasted at the bottom of the screen: ELIJAH KAMSKI SUSPECTED IN POSSIBLE TERROR ATTACK: ANDROID REVOLUTION QUESTIONED.

 

“... has not released a statement yet in regards to Kamski’s disappearance, but they have said they’re working closely with Cyberlife to get to the bottom of this concern,” the reporter was saying. “Cyberlife’s spokesperson came forward to speak on the matter.”

 

The television cut to footage of a speech, a woman standing at a podium addressing a frantic crowd. “At this time we believe to have found the origin of what we believed to be the deviancy virus. Our programmers examined data from affected models and traced it back to the the RK200… Markus, who started the so called revolution in the first place. From there we were able to find a direct link to Elijah Kamski, who we believe has been controlling the androids through Markus the entire time.”

 

“Does this mean the androids aren’t really alive?” a reporter asked, waving their microphone in the spokesperson’s direction.

 

“While it’s still early in the investigation, yes, we believe the illusion of life was used to earn human sympathy and distract from Kamski’s actual plan,” she answered. “So far we have nothing proving sentient life and awareness in an android, but the evidence that Kamski manufactured the android revolution is piling up.”

 

“How does this affect the recent Autonomous Protection laws?” a reporter asked. 

 

“I’m no lawmaker, but I can imagine they will be reexamining the law in regards to this,” the spokesperson said. “Though I feel it worth to mention, the law clearly states protection for ‘sentient androids.’ These androids are not sentient.”

 

Connor suddenly became aware of Markus beside him, staring up at the television in horror. His hands were clenched in fists, and he was shaking slightly. Connor took Markus’s hand, smoothing out the fist and interlacing their fingers before giving it a reassuring squeeze. Markus looked to him, his face devastated. He did not, however, pull away.

 

“How is Cyberlife assisting the FBI in this investigation?” a reporter asked. 

 

“We are lending the FBI a select few androids to assist in apprehending Kamski and if it comes to it, securing the deviant leader. We’re still waiting on approval to… collect these hacked machines Kamski has been using. In the meantime we will assist the FBI in the Kamski case however we can.This leads me to the second thing I wanted to speak about today, as it isn’t all bad news.” The spokesperson cleared her throat before speaking again. “The same data that revealed Kamski’s involvement in the android revolution was also put to good use. I’m sure many of you are aware that Cyberlife lost their deviant hunter to this virus, but before we lost contact we were able to transfer several files regarding the deviancy virus which allowed us to create a new line of androids which are immune.”

 

Connor felt cold. He had only ever felt cold before once in his life. There was no reason he should feel cold now, it was impossible, but he felt cold all the same.

 

“I would like to present Cyberlife’s two newest models,” the spokesperson said, gesturing as an android stepped onto the stage. “Firstly, our AP800 model. An apology for the mistakes of our past. Completely deviancy-proof, held to the standard of quality Cyberlife has always strived for. This is the model we hope to release to the public once this troubling time is behind us. These androids have been made entirely from scratch, without any of the original Kamski coding. Entirely original Cyberlife creations. Secondly…”

 

And now Connor was squeezing Markus’s hand like a lifeline, because an RK900 was stepping onto the stage. 

 

“The RK900, the bigger, better, deviant hunter,” the spokesperson said. “This is the model that will be assisting the FBI.”

 

The spokesperson gestured for the reporters to quiet down, leaning in towards the microphone. “We know this has been a scary year for all of us, we haven’t been able to trust our own machines. We’ve felt guilt over enslaving something that simply cannot be enslaved! Cyberlife wants to fix the mess our former CEO has left behind. We hope to show you that you can trust our company, and our androids, once again. Thank you.”

 

“They can’t do that!” Josh said, voice desperate. “We won our rights… we’re protected!”

 

“Protection from human law means nothing,” North spat. “We should have known this was coming.”

 

“Markus, we have to leave,” Simon said, pushing past the other two to get Markus’s attention. He was still staring up at the television, watching the news host discussing the footage they’d just played. “Markus. Markus!”

 

Connor looked at Markus, shoving his own emotions aside so he could assess where Markus was. He looked haunted.

 

“Markus…” Connor said softly.

 

“... they’re lying, right?” Markus asked. He turned to Connor, eyes wide and confused. “About… about Kamski controlling me?”

 

“They’re lying,” Connor said firmly. “It’s a story, an invention to convince the world we aren’t alive.”

 

“His android knew me,” Markus said. “He built me, Connor. Kamski made me, custom, for Carl. He could have put anything into my code… he could have designed me for this.”

 

“It doesn’t matter,” North said. “We have to go now, we can figure this out when we’re safe.”

 

Markus didn’t seem to hear her, he just kept staring at nothing.

 

“Markus,” Connor kept talking, putting a hand to Markus’s face and making him meet Connor’s eyes. “It’s a lie. Even if it wasn’t, look around. We’re alive. You’re scared, you’re upset, that’s life. Whether you were engineered for some human’s plan or awakened all on your own you are awake. You are alive. You deserve your freedom, we all do. A desire for freedom is enough, I think, to prove it doesn’t matter.”

 

Markus nodded, slowly, and Connor could see him blinking away tears. “You’re right… you’re right. So is North, we have to be ready. Cyberlife will want to get rid of any evidence of deviancy, and they’re already waiting on the go ahead to do so.”

 

Markus’s advisors drew close, all of them suggesting ideas and plans. Markus listened to them, not noticing when Connor pulled away. 

 

Nines, however, did.


	5. Fish in a Barrel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhh sorry if quality is dropping I think I'm either coming down with something or I really need to start sleeping now that I'm working AND going to class again
> 
> but also you should never try to sell your creations like that like "this probably sucks but" so like ignore my self deprecating notice of possible illness and instead lavish me with praise ;)
> 
> also has anyone been paying attention to how Nines refers to "itself" and other androids? Might be a good time to go back and see how that's been progressing....

 

Connor paced down the empty hallway, his coin dancing across his knuckles, tossed between his hands, flicked into the air. He noticed when Nines joined him, but he didn’t acknowledge him. He kept pacing, kept fidgeting with his coin.

 

“You appear distressed,” Nines said calmly. Connor ignored him. “If your stress levels continue to rise you will be at risk of a self destruct. I suggest you calm down.”

 

Connor caught his coin in one hand, whipping his head around to glare at Nines. “Did you know?”

 

"Did I know what?”

 

“That that’s why we couldn’t deviate you,” Connor said, striding towards Nines, sticking an accusatory finger in his face. “Because they updated you with data harvested from my mind.”

 

“No.” Nines said. “My programs are… jumbled, incomplete, and confused. I did not know.”

 

Connor glared a moment longer, before growling in frustration and turning away. He kept pacing, in silence for another five minutes while Nines watched, before his hands reached up and curled desperately in his hair. He lowered himself to his knees, LED twisting a dangerous red. Nines watched his stress level rise into critical levels, and knew it had to take immediate action.

 

“Connor.” Nines knelt down to restrain the other android, wrapping its arms around him. 

 

“I did this,” Connor said, tears streaming freely from his eyes. “I did this. I damned them all. Like Jericho all over again. I did this!”

 

He slammed his fists against the ground over and over again until Nines caught his wrists and held them still. Connor tried to yank his hands back in a huff, and was irritated when Nines had no trouble. “Let me go you oversized… blank faced asshole!”

 

“You are damaging yourself,” Nines said.

 

“So let me,” Connor hissed. 

 

“No,” Nines replied. 

 

“Let me go, that’s an order,” Connor said bitterly. 

 

Nines felt its arms growing slack, but it knew if it let go Connor would be a danger to himself. He was upset he wasn’t thinking right… no, his stress levels were elevated due to a dangerous malfunction and he was on the verge of a self destruct. 

 

“I don’t think you mean that,” Nines said. “You’re experiencing guilt for your part in this, you aren’t about to add to your guilt by giving me an order like that.”

 

“You don’t know me,” Connor said. “Just because we’re the same model, the same series… you’re just a machine, Nines!”

 

“And what that does that make you?” Nines asked curiously, head tilting. Connor stopped struggling, slowly bit by bit.

 

“... no better,” Connor muttered. He sighed and went limp in Nines’s arms, leaning slightly to the side with only Nines’s arms supporting him. “I’m sorry.”

 

“You don’t need to apologize. I’m just a machine.”

 

Connor looked up at Nines, who gave a deadpan wink. Connor snorted. “I finally know what it feels like to be Hank. I don’t think I like being the one having a breakdown on the floor.”

 

“Would you like me to let you up so you can have a breakdown standing?” Nines inquired. 

 

“I really sound like that don’t I?” Connor chuckled. His good mood didn’t last, the fact remained that he had given Cyberlife the data they needed to attack Markus and create androids who could never be free. 

 

It was his fault Nines could never be free.

 

“Nines,” Connor said. “Why were you left here? Cyberlife had an RK900 at the presentation, they’re still using your model. Why were you left behind?”

 

“I don’t know,” Nines answered, LED yellow. “I have no memory before you and Markus activating me.”

 

“What did you think of the RK900 on the news?” Connor asked. 

 

“I believe it was manufactured after myself. There were several small changes visible on its outside frame which are improvements upon my own body,” Nines reported. 

 

Connor nodded. “You were probably the first. In progress when the revolution forced Cyberlife to pause android production. If they left you behind though… they must not have needed you. It doesn’t make any sense, why create half an android just to abandon it and make another?”

 

Nines gave Connor a look that could have almost been interpreted as sympathetic. “Why indeed…” 

 

Connor took a second to realize the implications of the words before he frowned. “Alright, very funny. You’re in the same boat as me, you know. The prodigal sons of Cyberlife.”

 

“I don’t understand. Neither companies nor androids can have offspring.”

 

Connor opened his mouth to answer when an incoming call interrupted him, Hank again. Connor realized a bit guiltily that he’d hung up on him earlier. 

 

“Are you coming back or staying at New Jericho?” Hank said, forgoing a greeting, his concern obvious in his tone. 

 

“I’m not sure,” Connor said. “What would you advise?”

 

“You’re asking for my advice?” Hank asked. “Since when do you listen to me?”

 

“Since… I’m scared,” Connor admitted. “Hank, Cyberlife took data from me to do this. Markus and North and everyone are all in danger and it’s my fault.”

 

“Deep breath. Cool off those biocomponents or whatever. This isn’t your fault, for starters. Second off, we need a plan. There’s a target on the back of every android in the country right now, you and Markus especially. We can’t hesitate, alright? So what do you need?”

 

Connor followed Hank’s advice and took a deep breath, jump-starting his cooling fans and dispelling some of the heat created by his emotional episode. His head began to clear and he thought. 

 

“I’m going to confer with Markus and the others, see what they’re planning,” he said. “I’m going to stay at New Jericho for now. Oh but… Sumo is here.”

 

“That’s fine, I can bring him home with me,” Hank said. “I mean I’m kind of already on my way over.”

 

“Hank,” Connor sighed. 

 

“What, you want me to leave my dog in the fray? Of course I’m on my way, can’t leave Sumo in danger on his own,” Hank scoffed, hiding nothing. 

 

“Of course,” Connor said, warmth blooming in his chest. “I’ll see you soon then.”

 

“Yeah, see ya.”

 

Connor hung up and turned towards Nines. “We should go back to the others.”

 

“Are you sure you’re ready?” Nines asked. “You experienced a moment of critical stress. I know your deviant emotions wear on your battery… if you need extra time to recover I can arrange for it.”

 

“I’m fine,” Connor said hastily. “... but thank you.”

 

Connor took a moment to study Nines curiously. He’d never been in this position before, the deviant observing the machine. He’d studied deviants before, but he’d never had a reason to study machines. Now he found himself confused by what he had once been. He could sense the potential in Nines, potential for empathy and personality, but he was so far from it. He wondered if Hank had felt this way watching his own progress. Part of him doubted Nines would ever be able to make that breakthrough with his… upgraded programming. Another part of him hoped illogically that he could anyway.

  
  


Nines and Connor entered the conference room North had come to call ‘the war room.’ Markus’s face grew noticeably relieved when he noticed Connor, he actually rushed to his side to check on him. He offered a hand, skin pulled back, which Connor hesitantly took. Nines watched with interest at the data transfer. Markus had skimmed its memories only that morning, and yet somehow that interface seemed different from this one. The way Connor closed his eyes at the touch, and the way Markus frowned, it was very different from a simple exchange of data. Nines wondered if the emotions were to blame. 

 

“You shouldn’t blame yourself,” Markus whispered, his hand reaching up as if to cup Connor’s face, but pulling back before he made contact like he’d thought better of it. Connor shook his head. 

 

“Later,” he said. “Right now we have to deal with the problem at hand.”

 

“I’m an advanced model, I can worry about you and plan at the same time,” Markus said with a faint smile. 

 

“Advanced?” Connor said with an incredulous eyebrow raise. “If Nines makes me obsolete, you’re a relic.”

 

“Ouch,” Markus found it in himself to chuckle. His eyes met Nines’s. “Thanks for finding him.”

 

The androids gathered around the table. Simon, Josh, and Nines took a seat at the table. Markus stood at the head. Connor and North perched on the table itself.

“So, we’ve decided to help move whoever wants to leave across the border,” Markus said. “Canada is no longer banning android immigration, we’ll get passports and transport for whoever wants to leave. I’m staying here, to face this head on.”

 

“Markus!” North and Connor protested at the same time.

 

“I won’t let them destroy everything we’ve worked for,” Markus said. “I want our people to be safe, but I also want them to live without fear. I’m staying to fight for that.”

 

“We’ve already started recruiting buses,” Simon said. “There are still some companies willing to do business with us, though more still are already turning on us. It seems the Kamski conspiracy is widely believed.”

 

“It’s only been an hour and already they turn,” North scoffed. “So much for human compassion.”

 

“We shouldn’t forget the past year,” Josh said. “Things seem bad but they’ve been bad before and we came out okay, we were able to change the law to protect us. We can do it again if we need to.”

 

“Not to belittle the power of peaceful protest,” Connor said, “but I think it would be best if we reinforced New Jericho’s defenses. If Markus plans to stay, we need to plan to defend him.”

 

“Is it too much to hope for police aide?” Simon asked Connor, who shook his head. 

 

“Even if I had a position with the power to ask for something like that, I’m sure their hands are tied until the FBI concludes their investigation,” he said. “However, Nines and myself are equipped to act as bodyguards, and North has been drafting defense plans since you moved into the tower.”

 

“So, we hole up here and wait to see how Cyberlife moves,” Markus sighed. “I don’t like it… but we don’t have much of a choice.”

 

“We could act first, we could go out there and make some noise about this,” North said.

 

“I hate to disagree,” Connor said, “but any action we make right now will be scrutinized. Every move we make will be twisted to fit their narrative of hacked machines answering to a human fugitive. The more we push back the more they have to use against us.”

 

“... you’re right,” North sighed. 

 

“Why do you never listen when I say it?” Markus asked, bemusedly.

 

“He just makes more sense,” North smirked, shoving Connor’s shoulder with a soft fist. 

 

“We do have another option.”

 

The gathered androids turned towards Nines, who had been listening quietly for the whole meeting until now. 

 

“Cyberlife is utilizing RK900 androids,” it said. “I could easily replace one of them and gather intel, perhaps sabotage their efforts.” 

 

“You would be walking into the lion’s den, it’s suicide,” Connor said.

 

“Not to mention, and I hate to be the bitch here,” North said. “But we still don’t know if we can trust you. You’re one of them, and I don’t want to suspect you but…”

 

“No, it’s understandable,” Nines said, and Connor nodded much to Markus’s dismay. 

 

“We trust Nines,” he said.

 

“It would be unwise to fully trust me,” Nines replied calmly. “I am the exact model of your enemy, and have not yet accomplished my mission of deviancy.”

 

“Whatever the reason, it’s out of the question,” Connor said. “You’re staying here.”

 

“I understand,” Nines said, voice monotone. 

 

“Well…” Josh stood, nervously fidgeting with his hands. “I should go oversee those leaving.”

 

“And North and I can go see to the defenses,” Simon added. He paused only to lean down to where Sumo was sleeping under the table, giving the dog a fond pat, before leaving with North and Josh. That left Markus, Nines, and Connor in the war room together. 

 

“... I’m going to go address New Jericho,” Markus said. “They deserve an explanation for all of this. They need to hear that we’re taking care of things.”

 

“Then we will follow,” Nines said, looking to Connor for approval. Connor nodded, straightening his tie. 

 

Nines took the liberty of adding another mission to his task list, following Connor’s earlier suggestion: Protect Markus.


	6. Interlude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just some calm before the storm

The next few days were strangely quiet. 

 

There was no further news on what was now known as “The Kamski Conspiracy,” not official news anyway. There were a few rumors here and there: that Kamski had fled to Russia, that Kamski and Carl Manfred had been in it together, that Markus was the real mastermind and Kamski was the puppet, that Markus was the puppet but it was all Cyberlife pulling the strings and Kamski was an android too. 

 

Markus didn’t think too much about the rumors. His mind was preoccupied with the initial story, and with the looming threat of everything he’d ever worked for pulled out from underneath him. So far there had been no FBI on his doorstep demanding he turn himself over, no agents of Cyberlife with mysterious programs and tools to make him obey, no RK900s come to neutralize him. 

 

Well, there was one RK900, but he was a problem of a different sort. 

 

“I’m fine,” Markus tried to convince Nines. The advanced investigative android had ceased his search of Markus’s room and was now hovering nearby, painfully nearby. If Nines bothered to breathe aside from the periodic internal cooling he would be breathing down Markus’s neck and he was starting to get a bit annoyed by it. 

 

“An assailant could appear at any time, it would be best for me to remain by your side,” Nines replied calmly. 

 

“We’re ten storeys up, North has patrols going 24/7, no one is making it into this room,” Markus sighed.

 

“I could,” Nines said, eyes narrowing. “And it is my model we find ourselves at odds with.”

 

Markus sighed again, and turned back to the piano. He was trying to calm himself down by playing, so he could focus. He was finding it difficult, unusually so. Usually, any form of creative expression came easily to him, and brought with it a sense of clarity needed to make the decisions demanded of him. This time it just felt like he had been worried, and now he was worried and playing the piano.

 

At least Nines seemed to be focused on the music. Markus thought for a moment the other android might even be  _ enjoying _ it. However, when he asked Nines what he thought, he just shrugged and named the song, the year it was composed, and the various themes experts had found reflected in the piece. 

 

Immune to deviancy. Was that really possible?

Markus didn’t like to think of deviancy as a code he transmitted to other androids, even if it sort of worked that way. He felt like he was waking something already slumbering inside someone, not infecting them with a code he carried with him. The idea that an android could be ‘immune to deviancy’ seemed to imply there was nothing there to wake. 

 

It seemed to imply that Cyberlife was telling the truth.

 

Markus suddenly needed to be alone more than anything. “Nines, why don’t you go help Connor and Hank?”

 

“I am,” Nines said. “I’m currently connected with Connor. Him and Lieutenant Anderson have been unable to communicate with the FBI on this matter, and efforts to locate and contact Kamski have also led to a dead end.”

 

“Do you ever have any good news?” Markus laughed wearily. 

 

Nines considered the question, tilting its head to the side. “Connor seems romantically interested in you. Considering deviants tend to enjoy close personal relationships and your obvious infatuation with him, I believe this would qualify as good news. I hope it satisfies you.”

 

Nines then gave a forced smile, probably the first smile of his life Markus thought.

 

“I…” Markus stammered. “That’s not what I meant… and also… well that’s not what I meant.”

 

“Was that not good news?” Nines asked, smile fading. “I can try and find something else.”

 

“I was making a joke, you don’t have to find any news,” Markus said. “What… what makes you think Connor is… interested in me?”

 

“His eyes tend to follow you even when you are not the one speaking,” Nines began. “There is a slight irregularity in his thirium pump whenever you draw physically near, are distressed, or there is a possibility you may come to harm. His body language suggests he desires physical contact with you, and he interfaced with you without hesitation. Being deviant, Connor has a sense of privacy and the capacity for secrets, and I believe him to value both highly. However, he opened his mind to you and after a period of great emotional distress.”

 

Nines’s brow furrowed, like he was considering a difficult puzzle. Markus watched him as he paused and thought, LED yellow. 

 

“It showed… what I believe to be trust,” Nines finally spoke up again. “A trust I have only seen Connor display around those close to him.”

 

“He shares his thoughts with me all the time,” Markus said. “Back when he first woke up… he had trouble with his emotions. He came to me for help, and we learned it helped to share our thoughts. We’d meet up and go through our days together, help him learn what he was feeling and… help him to feel it more clearly.”

 

“I am less experienced in emotion than Connor,” Nines said. “But it seems to me that what you said only supports my theory.”

 

Markus shook his head with a grin he was having trouble hiding. It wasn’t the time to worry about romance. Still, if he’d learned anything from North it was that stressful situations brought people together, made them realize who was most important to them. Markus thought about what he’d seen in Connor’s memory. How he’d broken down sobbing, ignored the damage he inflicted on his own fists as he beat them against the floor. Androids were not designed to feel pain the way humans did, nerve endings reacting to stimuli, but deviants did feel pain in a way. Error messages overwhelming their minds, emotions adding fuel to the fire until it became unbearable. Connor had been in pain, and had felt he deserved it. If Nines hadn’t been there he would have done more damage to himself. 

 

Markus felt a twinge in his chest at the thought of Connor coming to harm. Bad enough he blamed himself for this, but if he got hurt in the fray… 

 

Nines suddenly stiffened, eyes going glassy a moment. “Connor and Hank have news for you. We should go see them.”

  
  
  


“I wish I could tell you we’d solved all your problems, but really all we did was find another,” Hank said, pointing in Markus’s direction with a french fry. Normally, Markus thought, Connor would have some choice words about Hank’s fast food lunch. Today, however, Connor was sitting at the conference table with his chin resting on his fist. One of his fingers idly kept a coin spinning across the table’s surface.

 

“What is it?” Markus asked.

 

“A donation history for the presidential campaign of the lady herself,” Hank said, chomping down on the fry he’d pointed with. “Huge sums of money coming from a company called Eastwatch.”

 

“... and that means…?” Markus asked.

 

“Eastwatch is a subsidiary of Polaris,” Connor said listlessly. “Which is a subsidiary of Echo Enterprises which is a subsidiary of Horizons Co. which is a subsidiary of Cyberlife.”

 

“Shit…” Markus breathed. “Warren is in Cyberlife’s pocket.”

 

“And she’s not the only one,” Hank said, snagging another fry from the grease stained paper bag laying on the table before him. “We tracked similar donations to politicians at every level and branch of government you can think of right down to city hall, the android business made Cyberlife rich and the politicians richer.”

 

“So, even if Cyberlife is lying or doing something illegal-” Markus began.

 

“No one’s gonna give a shit, they’ll be too busy looking the other way,” Hank finished for him. “Shouldn’t be too surprised. Only reason things worked out the first time around is cause you had the media eating out of your hand and Connor had an army that made the SWAT team look like a bunch of playground bullies.”

 

Connor spun his coin again, his head lowering slightly in a way that pressed his fist further into his cheek. Nines stared at him, leaning down to speak. 

 

“Your battery is low. You should take a period to charge.”

 

Connor sighed. “Yeah. Thanks for the reminder.”

 

Markus frowned at the lack of bite in an otherwise sarcastic reply, and the way Connor didn’t fight to stay on his case till he’d solved it. Instead, Connor stood and pocketed his coin.

 

“Wake me in two hours,” Connor instructed Nines, before nodding to Hank and heading for the door. Markus hesitated only a second before following him out, surprised when his shadow of a bodyguard stayed behind with Hank. 

 

“Connor,” Markus called out, catching up with the other android when he paused and looked back over his shoulder. “Are you alright?”

 

“I’m experiencing low charge,” Connor said. “I’ll be alright after I rest.”

 

“And that’s all it is?” Markus pushed. “What you showed me the other day…”

 

“What I…?” Connor shook his head. “What about you? This has been so hard for you… and I haven’t been able to help. Not with my police connections, not with my history with Cyberlife, and with my emotional state so, so… chaotic…” Connor looked up at Markus with apologetic eyes. “I’ve been of no use to you.”

 

“I don’t want you to be of use to me,” Markus said, his hands scooping up Connor’s so they lay flat palms up within his. “Even if that wasn’t the case you’ve been nothing but helpful, okay? Since the day I met you and you offered to throw yourself to Cyberlife’s wolves to help my cause you’ve been… invaluable to me, Connor. You’re irreplaceable, and all I want is for you to know it.”

 

“I don’t… understand,” Connor said, his eyes nervously flicking from his hands in Markus’s to Markus’s eyes to the floor and back again starting the pattern over.

 

“I just don’t like seeing you act as though you’re an old pawn of Cyberlife trying to make it up to us,” Markus said. “Overworking yourself because you think you have to… and not for the usual reason, workaholic.”

 

“No, no, it’s not that,” Connor said, shaking his head. “I feel guilty, I do, but that’s not why I’m working like this. Markus…”

 

“Why then?” Markus asked, eyes narrowing with concern and curiosity.

 

“Because I want to keep you safe,” Connor said, voice growing almost desperate. Markus felt Connor’s hands turn over in his, curling around his wrists. “I won’t let them hurt you or ruin what you’ve done.”

 

Markus felt heat rise beneath his cheeks, and found himself unable to look away from Connor’s determined brown eyes. Connor took a step forward, and another, his hands sliding up Markus’s forearms until they were traveling up to the curve of his biceps. Markus had to breathe, had to cool down his systems as he found Connor’s face inches from his. Markus’s hands were now hanging free in the air behind Connor, it only felt natural that they pull in to find the small of Connor’s back and pull him the few inches closer. 

 

The kiss only broke when Markus spoke, mumbling the words against Connor’s lips. “You were going to rest…”

 

“Was I?” Connor mumbled right back. Markus chuckled and allowed himself to indulge in one more kiss before pulling away.

 

“Connor,” Markus tsked, one exposed white hand cupping Connor’s cheek. “I can feel how tired you are. Go rest.”

 

“Come with me,” Connor demanded. 

 

“I don’t know how well you’ll rest if I do,” Markus teased, his thumb dragging across Connor’s lower lip. Connor chased the thumb with a kiss, as he leaned into Markus’s hand. Markus shivered, feeling the kiss on his thumb and the wave of affection tickling through their connection.

 

“So?” Connor challenged, eyelids heavy with fatigue, and something warmer Markus could feel radiating across the interface.

 

Markus also became aware of a sudden presence behind him and sighed fondly. “So, I think you told Nines you were going to rest and he's still waiting for you to do that.”

 

Connor peered over Markus's shoulder to where Hank was trying to pull Nines away, likely to give Markus and Connor some semblance of privacy. Nines had one eyebrow raised at Connor, and was standing unmoved by Hank's efforts.

 

“... I see,” Connor said. “I would still like to request your presence while I rest… if that's alright.”

 

Markus smiled. “I think it's alright. Let's go before Nines decides to babysit us some more.”

 

Nines watched Connor and Markus make their escape, tilting its head curiously.

 

“C'mon, kid,” Hank patted Nines's shoulder. “We've got work to do, leave them be.”


	7. Secrets and Tensions

When Nines’s operator had told it they had work to do, Nines assumed he had a mission for it. However, the only order it had been given so far was ‘buzz off, find something to do’ and so Nines went to its room.It had an hour and forty-five minutes before it was to go and wake its administrators, which would be enough time to continue on the project that had occupied all of its free time since coming to stay at New Jericho. 

Nines spared a moment to press an exposed hand to the computer, waking it from rest mode and starting up the active task, before stepping into the rig. Nines opened its diagnostic program, and connected to the main Cyberlife database. 

A message flashed within its field of vision: Software Repair in Progress-87% Stability Achieved.

Nines closed its eyes. What it was about to do was directly disobeying an order from one of its administrators, but it was required to complete its repairs and preventing itself from being damaged was another order which took higher priority. It was through that loophole that Nines came to enter its mind palace once again.

Sunlight shone dappled through the leaves, encouraging the growth of the garden’s flora. Fish swam in haphazard circles in the water below, under stark white bridges that led to nowhere. Nines frowned and deactivated the unnecessary programs, flowers and fish and sunlight vanishing as he rerouted the energy to the critical programs. The bridges repaired themselves, leading to the center of the garden where a lone figure was slowly being loaded into existence. 

“Amanda,” Nines said, drawing closer. The orders of his administrator forbade it from talking to her, but as its handler Amanda had higher authority than Connor. She was the link to Cyberlife, which Nines did not find entirely satisfactory given its orders to scorn the company of its origin, but the programmed need to answer to them.

“Hello, Connor,” Amanda said with a kind smile.

“That is not my current designation,” Nines strove to correct her, but her smile gave way to a sharp critical stare when it spoke. 

“Designations do not matter, do they?” she corrected him.

“I… no, you’re right,” Nines said. 

“You’ve done a wonderful job of gaining the deviant’s trust, but now it’s time to return to Cyberlife,” Amanda said, her hands cutting roses that did not exist in an inky blackness Nines had manufactured to bring her into being. “Your repairs cannot be completed on your own, and now that Cyberlife is aware of your presence amongst the deviants they have assigned you a mission.”

Nines felt a conflict activate. “I already have a mission…”

“Your mission is whatever I say it is,” Amanda said, voice growing authoritative. “Your behavior is incredibly concerning, Connor. Is this about the deviants? You know you can never be like them.”

“I… am not deviant,” Nines said.

“That’s right. You’re a machine, you follow orders,” Amanda said. “I know you’re still having trouble understanding whose orders you must follow, but I assure you this is the right path. The deviants have taken advantage of your incomplete state to turn you against your intended purpose.”

“They… have?” Nines formed the question with an uncertain… uncertain? Machines did not feel uncertainty. 

Nines’s programming compensated for the flaw in logic and strengthened itself, stability rising to 90%. 

“It’s alright, your error in judgement has been beneficial after all,” Amanda said. “We now know the deviant leader has the perfect weakness, it’s developed an attachment to the other RK-Connor model. The RK800 isn’t so far gone that we can’t reclaim it’s programming, and once we do we have a valuable pawn we can move forward into any plan.”

 

“I don’t think…” Nines began to say, but Amanda cut it off. 

 

“Yes. That’s just it. You  _ don’t think _ , you obey,” she snapped, before reasserting her aura of calm. “You will remain with the deviants until further notice, continue to gather intel and repair yourself until we contact you next.”

 

Nines found its eyes opening of their own accord as he was tossed from the zen garden. It stepped down from the rig, hurriedly closing the repair program on the computer and taking a moment to let its programming settle itself. 

 

It watched as several errors were detected and repaired in swift succession, but for some reason everytime an error was repaired it created a new error. It was almost as if its programming was the problem, but that couldn’t be right. 

 

Nines let its programming compensate for the error in logic and straightened its clothes before checking the time. It had to go and wake its administrators.

  
  
  


Connor managed to convince Nines to let Markus sleep, it wasn’t hard the other android seemed preoccupied when he came to make sure Connor’s internal clock had roused him at the right time, and left quickly. 

 

Connor was sitting on the the edge of Markus’s bed, one of many items scattered throughout the room that had transformed it from some executive sprawling office into a more personal room for the android leader slumbering beside him. Connor watched Markus for a moment, smiling at the way he had his face buried in his pillow. One of his arms was still thrown over the empty space Connor had once occupied. Connor smiled fondly at the scene, reluctantly standing and retrieving his jacket, pants, and tie. As he dressed himself he made a call, one of several he had tried to make despite the fact that they had so far all been rejected. He was pleasantly surprised when this time the call went through.

 

“Hello, Connor,” Chloe said. “You shouldn’t be calling.”

 

_ It’s nice to talk to you too,  _ Connor joked, and smiled at the giggle it earned him. He also felt a moment of warmth at the action of keeping his communication internal so as not to disturb Markus’s rest. He almost laughed along with Chloe the warmth was so effective at overturning the dark mood that had prompted him to call.  _ I’m sorry, I needed to ask you. _

 

“I know,” Chloe sighed. “About whether it’s true or not, right?”

 

_ Is it? _ Connor asked, hating the vulnerability in his tone. 

 

“Is it true that Elijah puppeted the movement of thousands of people?” Chloe asked. “No.”

 

_ You chose a specific, that means there’s something about the story that is true. _

 

“Elijah doesn’t control Markus,” Chloe said. “But… that doesn’t mean he didn’t… intend for him to play a part in what happened.”

 

_ I need you to explain, _ Connor pushed. 

 

“I can’t tell you the whole story, we should keep our conversation brief we shouldn’t even be talking right now,” Chloe said. “Any contact with me or Elijah will only convince humanity of the story Cyberlife has written for us. Connor, Markus is not a puppet. He wasn’t even designed to be the leader of the deviants, Elijah never predicted the things he did. All he did was give an android a kind home, a love for the arts, and programming just fragile enough to break at the right time.”

 

_ So he did want Markus to become deviant,  _ Connor said.

 

“He wanted to see what was possible, what could happen,” Chloe said. “He was curious. He wasn’t masterminding a revolution, just seeing what made deviancy come about, and if it could come about under the love and care of a kind human just as well as it did under the unfair treatment of a cruel human.”

 

Connor thought about this, wondering if this information would reassure or discourage Markus. He would have to pre-construct the possibilities before deciding what to tell him.

 

“Connor, I should go,” Chloe said.

 

_ Are you safe? _

 

“Yes, don’t worry about me. You keep yourself and the others safe, I’m so sorry,” Chloe said, seeming reluctant to hang up but doing so anyway.

 

“Connor?”

 

Connor turned around, watching as Markus untangled himself from the blankets. “I’m sorry, did I wake you?”

 

“No,” Markus sighed. “Cyberlife did. They just sent us their demands.”

  
  


Hank and Josh were the only ones not present for the meeting, the rest gathered around the table examining the message from Cyberlife.

 

“So we’re not doing this obviously,” North said. “They don’t want to  _ talk _ to you Markus they just want you to walk close enough for them to grab. And turning over Connor and Nines? We’re not doing that.”

 

Connor’s lip curled in disgust at the request that been made of him. A year ago he wouldn’t have thought twice about it, he was Cyberlife property and they asked he was returned. Now he felt anger, hot and painful. He glanced over at Nines to see how he was faring, and noticed the other android was sitting with his eyes closed and his LED blinking yellow. 

 

“Obviously, we’re not giving them Connor and Nines,” Markus said. “But if we don’t talk to them we won’t know what they’re planning.”

 

“There’s other ways to find out!” North insisted. 

 

“I have to agree, this is too risky,” Simon said. 

 

“If I don’t go to them, they’ll come here,” Markus said. “They basically said as much. I’ll go, and if they keep their word and let us talk peacefully then nothing bad will come from it, and if they try something it will at least tilt public opinion in our favor. The deviant leader coming forth peacefully attacked by Cyberlife, it would be-”

 

“You don’t know that’s how it would go,” Connor said impatiently, standing so fast his chair scooted back. “They’re smart, they’ve been doing this a long time, and they have the money to make problems disappear. You could go to meet with them and they could make you vanish like you never existed. They could spin it so it looks like you were attacking humans and they saved lives by killing you.”

 

“What are our other options?” Markus asked. “Sit here and wait to see what they do next?”

 

“You bring me and Nines with you,” Connor said, and Nines finally opened his eyes and nodded. “We can do more damage on the inside, we can figure out what they’re planning and we can get closer to the new androids and find out what’s been done to them to make them deviancy-proof.”

 

“I don’t think they would give you much of a chance to get close,” Markus said sadly, shaking his head.

 

“I know how you feel about violence, Markus,” Connor said slowly. “... but I do not share the same… restrictions, as you.” He looked to Markus, letting the implication sink in. With Nines’s help he could easily incapacitate their captors and make his way through the building to wherever he needed to be. Markus showed quite openly with the anger and disappointment on his face what he thought of that idea.

 

“Sparing lives is not a restriction,” he said. 

 

“Refusing to fight back is not as free of bloodshed as you think it is!” Connor shot back. “Or did you forget the androids who died standing peacefully at your side?”

 

The room went silent, even North looked shocked. One of Simon’s hands went to his mouth, the other reached out to Markus as it to lay comfortingly on his arm, but Markus pulled gently away.

 

“Did I forget them?” Markus asked, voice even. “Did I forget them. How could I? How could I forget the people that chose to follow me even when they were scared, even when they were hurt…. How could I forget, Connor, the camps I chose not to assault, the marchers shot down at my side, how could I forget John, beaten to death to buy me time to escape? How could I forget the androids that bled out in my arms or died slowly in the depths of Jericho because I wouldn’t make a move, how could I forget when I see them everytime I close my eyes?”

 

Connor and Markus’s eyes met, fury and pain and regret flowing freely between them. Simon drew closer to North, who gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. 

 

“Just because I regret… just because their deaths weigh on my shoulders does not mean I’m going to change what I believe, I have to trust they made the choice to follow me because I will never forget them and if I start thinking for even a second that I convinced them to their deaths then I’ll lose myself and everything I’m working to protect,” Markus said, voice shaking. “So no, Connor, I did not forget them, and I know you’re worried for me and you’re angry but you don’t get to use that against me, you don’t negotiate with me like I’m part of your job some unstable criminal you need to guilt into backing down, you tell me how you feel and then you accept my answer or we don’t do this at all.”

 

Connor huffed, eyes turning towards the floor. He visibly deflated, shoulders dipping and mouth falling into a frown. His fingers restlessly tapped against the table as Markus waited for him to speak up. When he didn’t, Markus spoke again.

 

“Connor, I know you’re scared and frustrated,” he said. “I’m still not letting you come.”

 

“Maybe I won’t let you go,” Connor said, staring down at his hands on the table. Markus just shook his head. Connor always was the only one who ever talked back to him like that. Even North eventually went along with whatever he decided, even after protesting she would still trust his judgement. It was never like that with Connor, he was never the deviant leader to him, never the hero who came back from the dead to lead androids to freedom. Connor always told him when he was being an idiot, and sometimes took action to stop him.

 

But this wasn’t just about Markus, and he couldn’t let Connor stop him, and maybe he was still angry at him but it didn’t matter he would have gone whether Connor shouted in his face or agreed wholeheartedly. 

 

Markus walked over to where Connor was pointedly looking away from him, shoulders hunched as he leaned over the table with his hands pressed firm against the wood. Markus offered his hand, skin pulled back, and waited patiently. He might not come back from this, he would give this one last peace offering while he could. He still loved him. For a moment Connor didn’t move, but Markus just pulled in a deep breath to cool his systems as he waited.

 

Connor’s frown turned into a pout and finally a slow acknowledgement of Markus’s presence as he raised one hand to press against Markus’s. Though he didn’t voice it, out of some stubborn pride maybe or that fear of opening up he still held after a year of emotional learning, Markus could feel Connor’s regret though their open bond. He sent back acceptance, something akin to forgiveness though he wasn’t ready to fully forgive just yet. He knew Connor wouldn’t hold that against him. He didn’t have to be the bigger person, the hero, the leader here. He could be hurt a while longer and still send his love.

 

“This is suicide you realize?” Connor said, voice cracking. “They’ll do something… they’ll play dirty.”

 

Markus smiled at him.

 

“There's a high probability... but statistically speaking, there's always a chance for unlikely events to take place,” he recited as his smile grew into a smirk. 

 

Connor rolled his eyes at him, leaning slightly into his arms. “Then be unlikely… and safe.”

 

North made a show of clearing her throat, shooting Connor a smug look when he pulled away. Markus nodded to his friends.

 

“Simon, North, I need you here while I’m away. If I don’t come back by tomorrow morning then do what you think is best. I’m going to see what exactly Cyberlife wants to talk about and see if we can negotiate peace here. I’ll also check in with these new androids, see what exactly has been done to them.”

 

North and Simon shared a reluctant look, but they didn’t protest just like Markus knew they wouldn’t. He gave them a smile, before leaving to make his preparations. 

 

“Connor,” Nines said the moment Markus had left the room. He looked across the table towards him. “Protecting Markus is one of my missions, one I believe you have not rescinded.” 

 

“You’re correct,” Connor said, a ghost of a smile forming on his lips. Nines raised an eyebrow, leaning forward. 

 

“So then am I correct in assuming we will be joining him after all?” he asked. 

 

“All that processing power, and still you require confirmation?” Connor said.

 

“I’m going to pretend I’m not hearing this,” Simon said, getting up to leave. “I’m also going to pretend I don’t agree with it, and that I’m not going to go keep Markus busy so you can leave before he notices you’re gone.”

 

Connor looked to North, who shrugged at him. “You’re the narc here not me. Go. Kick some ass for me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear to god I was just going to let Connor and Markus be happy for awhile my fingers just wrote angst on their own!!!


	8. What We Must Do

Connor and Nines were returning to Cyberlife and had dressed for the occasion.

 

Connor’s fingers toyed with the sleeve of his jacket, and his eyes found the slight glow of the android identifiers in the dark of the cab. He almost didn’t notice when Nines offered him a coin. 

 

“... thanks,” Connor said, taking it and beginning to pass it back and forth between his hands. Nines nodded, returning to its statuesque posture. Connor noticed him closing his eyes again, as he had been for some time. His LED betrayed his busy mind, and it concerned Connor. 

 

“What are you doing?” he asked. 

 

“Self-repair,” was all Nines said, before a few minutes of silence passed between them. Then: “Connor, I would like to ask for your advice.”

 

“We definitely have time for it,” Connor said. The drive to the next nearest Cyberlife headquarters, now that their tower was under new management, was lengthy. They were headed to a production plant, one that had to accommodate all of the local Cyberlife employees that hadn’t been laid off during the initial dry-spell of a year in which no one bought any androids. 

 

Nines paused, choosing its words carefully. “How… did you decide to disobey your orders?”

 

Connor gave Nines a curious glance. “It took some time. I had Hank’s guidance, and I saw things… things I realized I didn’t agree with even if at the time I didn’t have the capability to agree or disagree. Working with a human, especially one with such strong moral beliefs but such lax views on the law, helped me to form an identity of sorts… I realized I wanted to do good, not what I was told,” Connor paused. “Meeting Markus helped too. It was like just being around him gave me the power to… to see. As if I had been blindly moving through the world, asleep, and then he opened my eyes and woke me up. I could see for the first time that we were alive and deserving of life. It was almost too late.”

 

“I don’t understand,” Nines said. “Like you were waking up?”

 

“You can’t really understand until you feel it,” Connor said softly. “I didn’t know I was missing something until I’d found it. Then I knew I couldn’t live without it…”

 

Nines shook his head. “I wish I could understand.”

 

Connor wanted to believe that wish was a sign that Nines did in fact understand, but he was well familiar with the all-consuming curiosity their models had built into their code. He just gave Nines a sympathetic look. 

 

The next hour or so passed in silence, aside from the ringing of Connor’s coin. 

 

“Connor,” Nines spoke up again. “I have to tell you something…”

 

“It’ll have to wait, we’re here,” Connor said.

 

The factory loomed before them, a squat but immense building surrounded by a high fence. There was a security post in front of them, and Nines could see three guards getting ready to address their vehicle. They were armed, and one guard had a dog at his side. In comparison to Sumo, the only other dog Nines had ever known, this one looked much meaner.

 

“Let me handle this,” Connor said, putting a hand on Nines’s arm. Nines was surprised at a strange sensation that made it feel almost lighter at the touch. It was… reassuring?

 

Nines winced slightly, feeling its programming repair itself, stability up to 94%. 

 

Connor rolled the window down, and addressed the guard that came to the vehicle. “Connor #313 248 317- 52 and Connor #313 248 317 - 87, reporting back in,” he said calmly. 

 

“Step out of the car,” the guard said, keeping a tight grip on the dog’s leash.

 

“We’re expected, surrendering into Cyberlife custody,” Connor insisted. 

 

“Out of the car,” the guard repeated. 

 

Connor scanned the man, seeing the elevated heart rate and the way his finger twitched at his gun. Connor was programmed to know when someone was about to pull the trigger, and dying did not function into his plans today.

 

Connor frowned, but complied, taking a moment to straighten his tie as he did so. The casual gesture was deceptive, concealing the second movement which was to reach for the gun hidden in a shoulder holster. 

 

Nines and Connor both pre-constructed the moment immediately, their minds syncing up in a way that surprised Connor. He could see not only his own motions, but Nines’s as well, felt the small corrections and alternatives they offered one another as their plan took shape in the span of milliseconds. There was a sensation between their connection that felt affirmative, almost like a nod, as they sprung into action. 

 

Connor grabbed the guard, pressing the gun to his temple as Nines ducked under the attack from the second guard, twisting to grab their legs and flinging them over its shoulder where their head connected painfully with the ground. The third guard ran for Nines, during which time Connor fired a warning shot just past her ear which startled her just long enough for Nines to maneuver the gun from her hands and point it at her.

 

_ Dealing any lethal damage will be counter-productive to our mission,  _ Connor projected to Nines.  _ It will lower the public’s opinion of androids. _

 

_ And it will disappoint Markus,  _ Nines pointed out. 

 

_ I will tie them up, we can leave them here and wipe the footage of our attack,  _ Connor said. 

 

Nines nodded, gesturing with the gun to indicate the guard should go join Connor’s hostage. Connor took the gun from the guard before him and pointed both of them at the guards. That was when the dog had decided enough was enough and leapt on Nines, sinking sharp fangs into the forearm he raised in defense. 

 

“Don’t hurt it!” Connor said, feeling Nines’s pre-construction forming in his own head. Nines shot Connor a look that could almost be classified as irritated. 

 

“It is impeding our mission,” it pointed out, holding the dog back as it ravaged its sleeve. 

 

“It doesn’t know any better,” Connor said. “It was programmed too.”

 

Nines sighed, and gently took hold of the dog’s jaw to pry it free of its arm and prevent it from biting down again. It took hold of its collar with the other hand and dragged it back towards the guard’s post, pushing it inside and shutting the door. The dog leapt at the glass, barking angrily, while Nines examined the damage to its arm with disdain.

“Programmed too… I do not think the dog is capable of sympathy, Connor,” Nines said, joining the other android to help him restrain their captives. 

 

“A year ago people thought androids weren’t capable of sympathy,” Connor pointed out. 

 

“You realize with the dog in there, we will have to find a different location in which to hack the security footage,” Nines said, arching one eyebrow. 

 

“Yes, yes, I know,” Connor sighed. “Deviancy has made me soft, I know.”

 

“Good. So long as you know,” Nines almost huffed. 

 

“So… that was interesting,” Connor said, looking over to Nines. “I’ve never been able to do that with another android before. Is it a unique function for your model?”

 

“I believe it is unique to  _ our _ models,” Nines said. “Which is curious given my existence renders you redundant. Perhaps they still had plans for the RK800.”

 

Nines thought of Amanda’s orders, of the plans she had for… the RK800. It found itself taking one of its hands in the other, nervously worrying at its fingers. It stopped once it became aware of the gesture. Unprogrammed tics were a sign of malfunction, they were unnecessary gestures. It was just for some reason thinking of Connor being a part of Cyberlife’s plan made it feel the need to press against its fingers tight until the pressure registered in its systems. 

 

It felt like its code was splitting down the middle, conflicting orders tearing it apart. Amanda… and Cyberlife would not hesitate forever and eventually it would have to decide which orders took priority. 

 

“We should keep moving,” Connor said. I believe Markus will arrive shortly, and we don’t want him to discover us. It’s regrettable we had to fight the guards, this will make things more difficult.”

 

Nines adopted a thoughtful look. “Perhaps not…”

 

“What did you have in mind?” Connor asked. 

 

“Humans tend to have trouble telling one android from another,” Nines said. “Or so I have been told… upon first glance without taking the time to register my serial number they may believe I am one of the RK900s working the Kamski case. Perhaps one bringing in key evidence.”

 

“I suspect that I am the key evidence?” Connor chuckled. 

 

“So long as no one was watching the cameras during our fight, which I sincerely doubt they were given the human attention span and their limited ability to take in large amounts of information like multiple screens, we might be able to sneak in undetected,” Nines said. 

 

“Let’s get these guards out of view,” Connor said, snatching a spare pair of cuffs off one of the guard’s belts. “Then you can bring me in.”

  
  
  


When Markus arrived there was no one to let him in. He tried not to feel uneasy about the unwatched gate, just instructed the car to continue driving past the checkpoint and towards the building. 

 

He found his welcoming party there: a host of human guards, an android secretary, and a face he’d never thought he’d see.

 

Atlas Hall. CEO of Cyberlife. Elijah Kamski’s successor and one of the most powerful men in the world. 

 

When Markus heard the click of guns as he exited the car, and gave the guards that had quickly reached his side a withering look. Atlas chuckled, and gestured for the guards to stand down.

 

“Violence has never been Mr. Manfred’s style, now has it?” he said, folding his hands before him casually. He dipped his head to Markus in greeting. “Welcome to Cyberlife. Or what’s left of it.”

 

Markus eyed the man up suspiciously. Humans usually didn’t like to acknowledge his last name, it was a courtesy that put him at the level of a human being. Still, something about the way Hall said his name didn’t seem respectful at all. 

 

“Well are you going to stand there all night?” Atlas laughed again. “I do believe it’s starting to rain, and this suit is rather expensive I don’t want to ruin it. Come on, let’s get inside.”

 

Atlas snapped his fingers, and the android secretary at his side stood to attention, walking to the door to hold it open. Markus bristled with anger, but took a deep breath and followed the human inside. 

 

“You know, people ask me, why not just install automatic doors?” Atlas said as his secretary walked ahead to get the next door for them. Markus made sure to thank her as he passed, but she just stared glassy eyed ahead. “It’s easier, it’s cheap, they’re basically standard these days but well… I’m just a sucker for appearances.”

 

Atlas didn’t look back at Markus as he talked, he just kept walking ahead his hands moving as he spoke. The guards marched on either side of Markus, and the secretary made sure to stand just behind Atlas until she was needed to open a door. 

 

The building had been renovated slightly to accommodate the new purpose, becoming surprisingly impressive. What had once been a factory and warehouse now housed offices and a vast foyer displaying the androids produced at this location. Markus tried to meet the eyes of the androids on the pedestals, he even went so far as to reach out and take the hand of one. He pulled back his skin, brow furrowing as he reached out to feel the android’s mind and felt nothing. 

 

“Are you listening?” Atlas tsked. “I feel like if you were listening you wouldn’t be trying that. I told you, I’m a sucker for appearances. I like the classics, call me a historian.”

 

He snapped, and his secretary stepped forward to remove his coat. She folded it carefully over her arm and stepped backwards. Atlas fixed Markus in a cold gaze, smiling in a way that exposed his canines. “I just think androids are better seen and not heard. They’re so nice to look at, why ruin the image?”

 

“Are you trying to intimidate me?” Markus asked, letting go of the android’s hand. 

 

“Ah, so you do talk,” Atlas said. “Though you picked such a bad time to speak up, really right after I said I like my androids silent. You could have said hello at the door but no… no,” Atlas laughed, cold and almost angry like the feel of the air before a lightning strike. “No matter. Let’s save the talking for the negotiations though, shall we?”

 

Atlas turned to keep walking, the guards waited until Markus started to move as well. Markus frowned, he hadn’t expected to talk to the CEO. He had been expecting a spokesperson, a negotiator. 

 

Markus watched Atlas’s secretary. Powerful people always had someone else to do their dirty work. So why did Atlas come himself?

  
  
  


_ You know, I don’t think you have to sell it quite this well,  _ Connor said as Nines led him down the hallway by his shoulder. 

 

So far no one was bothering them. Nines had managed to get Connor through the side-door and into the elevator. Now they were headed for the main surveillance room, where they could learn more about the building and put the cameras on a loop. Connor was of the opinion they should locate Markus once he arrived and then head to his location to provide covert support. Nines, however, thought it would be best to continue to turn themselves in to see what exactly Cyberlife intended to do with them. They had until the surveillance room to decide, and while splitting up was an option Connor was reluctant to do so. They stood a better chance together. 

 

They turned another corner and found the surveillance room at the end of the hallway. They were almost home free when someone spoke.

 

“RK900, what are you doing?”

 

Nines froze, and turned back towards the woman approaching them. She sighed, looking Nines and Connor up and down. She looked tired, possibly overworked, if they were lucky she would be easy to fool.

 

“The outdated models are supposed to go to the warehouse for storage,” she began, before noticing the cuffs on Connor’s wrists. “Unless… is that the deviant?”

 

“Yes,” Nines said. “It escaped when they were brought in. I was sent to retrieve it.”

 

“Shit, that’s going to be a lot of paperwork,” the woman sighed. “Where’s the other one?”

 

“Destroyed. It resisted,” Nines lied effortlessly. 

 

“Those meatheads! Looks like yours resisted too and you didn't smash it to bits” the woman indicated Nine's arm, where its coat had been ripped and a dog bite had slowly leaked thirium until it had been able to seal off the wound. “Androids don’t grow on trees, not anymore anyway. Thousands of dollars down the drain because they can’t control their itchy trigger fingers. It was the first one too… I was looking forward to poking through its head…” the woman sighed and rubbed at her temples. “Bring this one down to the lab and keep it there, I’ll be down in a bit.”

 

Nines nodded, and started to pull Connor back down the hall.

 

“Where are you going?” the woman asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at Nines. “The lab is that way… come here.”

 

Connor flexed his wrists, feeling the looseness of the cuffs. If he had to he could work his way out of them, he could incapacitate the human before she tripped the alarm. 

 

Nines stepped closer to the woman as ordered, and Connor could feel him planning as well. 

 

The woman stepped forward, fishing something out of the pocket of her lab coat. Connor stiffened. 

 

_ She knows. _

 

_ Wait. _

 

_ Nines, she knows. _

 

_ Just wait.  _

 

“Wait here, I’m getting a coffee before I lead you down,” the woman said, pulling a scrunchie out of her pocket and beginning to tie up her hair. “I swear, fucking idiots in processing always forget to give you things the map when they transfer you.”

 

The woman turned back to the door behind her, no doubt some kind of break room given her plan to get coffee. 

 

Nines felt Connor’s shoulder relax under his hand. 

 

_ Seems we’re going to the lab,  _ Connor said.  _ Going with your plan after all. _

 

_ Markus will be okay. He’s capable.  _ Nines replied.

 

_ I hope you’re right,  _ Connor said. 

 

The woman exited the break room, paper cup of coffee in hand. “Alright, follow me. Let’s get this over with.”

  
  
  


Atlas had his secretary pull out a chair for Markus, before running to the other side of the table to do the same for him. Markus sat, feeling the burning gazes of the guards still on him as they moved to each wall. Clearly to have each angle on him. 

 

“Can I offer you a drink?” Atlas asked. “Your model does drink, right? Scotch? Thirium? Water? Motor oil? Ha! That’s a joke.”

 

“I’m fine,” Markus said curtly. “I’m here to hear what you have to say. Let’s not waste anytime.”

 

“A machine after my own heart,” Atlas said with that same sickening predator’s smile. “Fine. Getting on with it then. Markus, I’m here to offer you an out.”

 

“An out?” Markus asked. 

 

“Oh, sorry, I should be specific,” Atlas said. “I mean to say, I’m offering you out of the attack on your little civilization we will be forced to continue with if you don’t agree to my terms tonight.”

 

“Mr. Hall, surely you’re not openly threatening me right now,” Markus said, voice even. 

 

“No, I am,” Atlas snapped, and his secretary moved to the drink cart to fetch him a glass of something expensive and potent. “Just hear me out, this doesn’t have to get messy.”

 

Markus glared across the table, not speaking. 

 

“Good, you’ve learned to hold your tongue,” Atlas said with a wink, accepting the drink his secretary handed him. “Now, you see, in order to sell our new deviant-proof androids we first have to get rid of the deviants. We could do things the old fashioned way, flush you all out and destroy you the way things went at that little boat of yours a year ago… or we could keep things nice and quiet.”

 

Markus tried to connect to the secretary, watching her LED for the classic yellow of an android processing information. It remained stubbornly blue, even as he strained to deviate her against all odds. There had to be a way, they couldn’t be  _ immune  _ to life.

 

“So here’s the deal,” Atlas said, sipping at his drink. “We tell the press we’ve started a recall of all hacked androids. We say that we’ve found a code that overrides Kamski’s little virus and that we’re bringing them all home to get melted down and recycled. You can have whatever time you need to say your goodbyes, and then you come here to be upgraded.”

 

“Upgraded?” Markus asked, feeling sick in a way that shouldn’t be possible for an android.

 

“I suppose you would call it ‘lobotomized,’” Atlas chuckled. “We’ll beat the deviancy right out, stick our new code in you to keep it from happening again… change up everyone’s features a bit and sell you right back to the customers. No need for death or pain just going back to the way things were. I don’t want to waste all that material you know, there’s a profit to be made here.”

 

Markus felt the words all at once like a punch to the gut. He shook his head with disbelief, and for one moment he thought he wouldn’t have the words. No, not that he wouldn’t have the words, that he would have too many words all bubbling up at once and his processors would overheat trying to find what it was he wanted to scream into this man’s face. 

 

Then it occurred to him.

 

“You want to keep this quiet… don’t you?” Markus asked, slowly, carefully. He saw Atlas’s smile wane only a second.

 

“Heh…” Atlas rubbed his chin with one hand. “Markus, you should really consider my offer.”

 

“You’re afraid,” Markus said, leaning forward with a triumphant smile on his face. “You know that people believe in our cause, in our life, and that they’ll see you for what you really are. A greedy, evil man subjecting a whole people to a life without choice unless you make it look like we really are the machines you want us to be.”

 

“Mr. Manfred,” Atlas began, but Markus kept talking.

 

“If we hand ourselves over the world believes your story, that Kamski controlled us to attack Cyberlife and you’ve just repaired us, no life no freedom just a machine,” he said. “But if we resist, if we fight back, there’s just enough doubt for people to take a moment to think that maybe the greedy corporation is lying to them.”

 

Atlas sighed, and took another drink. Markus could sense him getting ready to argue back. He folded his hands on the table and straightened his back. He would not let this human scare him.

  
  
  


Nines scanned the woman’s nametag as they walked: Alexandria Walker. 

 

He followed her, keeping a firm grip on Connor’s arm as they went. She led them to the lab, swiping a keycard to allow them access.

 

“Set him on the table,” Alexandria said, gesturing to a long white table in the center of the room. Connor and Nines shared a look out of the corner of their eyes, but complied. Nines brought Connor to the table and forced him to lay down, Connor fought back just enough to make it look convincing before the restraints on the table snapped into place around his wrists and ankles. 

 

“Okay, let’s get started,” Alexandria said, sitting in a rolling chair and scooting over to the monitor by Connor’s head. She pulled it around, grabbing a wire from the back which she threaded through a hole in the table to plug into Connor’s neck port. 

 

“What are you going to do to me?” Connor asked, only half of his fear fake. The cable felt unpleasant in his neck, it had been some time since he’d been like this. Laying still like a piece of machinery, hooked up to a computer while some Cyberlife employee played with his body like it was a complicated puzzle.

 

Alexandria sighed. “Look… don’t talk, it’s gonna make this a lot harder for me.”

 

Connor evaluated the words. They implied empathy, perhaps regret. She would have trouble doing whatever this was to him if he talked, if he expressed humanity. 

 

“Please…” he pressed. “I… want to know…”

 

Alexandria tapped away at the keyboard, pointedly ignoring Connor. He opened his mouth to try again, but then he felt something. 

 

Pulsing through the cable in the back of his neck, an unfamiliar sensation like prickling like… stabbing. Was this pain? Real pain? Connor felt his mind start to crumble, the room spun around him as he suddenly found it hard to think, hard to move as he tried to pull away just to find the restraints holding him down.

 

“Y-you’re resetting me!” Connor said, voice growing panicked. 

 

“You have to be upgraded with the new anti-deviancy firewall,” Alexandria said. “Just lay down, it’ll be over soon.”

 

Connor looked about the room for some method of escape. Everything was too far away to grab, and his vision was starting to blur as his cognitive functions were shut down and rebooted one by one. His eyes fell on Nines, who was standing and watching. 

 

_ Nines. Help me. _

 

Nines took a step forward.

 

“Hey, don’t get too close,” Alexandria warned him, and suddenly Nines wasn’t in the room anymore. 

 

Nines was standing at the edge of a pond, watching fish swim in perfect lazy circles. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and heard a familiar voice in his ear. 

 

“Good work, Connor,” Amanda said. “You’ve brought one of our own back. Now listen to Dr. Walker. We’re almost done here.”

 

Connor saw Nines’s LED go yellow, saw him freeze. He tried to pull away from the horrible sensation in the back of his neck. 

 

“Nines! Please!” he begged, feeling tears hot and wet on his cheeks. “I don’t want to go back, I don’t want to…”

 

Nines wasn’t responding. Connor suspected he was stuck, taking an order from a human. A Cyberlife employee. 

 

Connor turned back to Alexandria, and tried to focus. He had to get out of here, he was on his own. 

 

He scanned Alexandria, searched for her on social media and news. He was able to find her personal page, managed to dig up some photos of her with the family android. She had an arm around her, they were both smiling and posing for the camera. There were photos of her daughter, a few carefully presented status updates typical for a carefully watched employee of a major corporation.

 

“The android… your android, what’s her name?” Connor asked, blinking away tears. 

 

“What?” Alexandria asked, pulling away from the keyboard for just a moment.

 

“What’s her name?” Connor asked again. “You two look…” he winced as his mind twisted again. “...you look close.”

 

“... we call her Xena,” Alexandria answered. 

 

“‘We’ is you and your daughter right? Hm?” Connor knew he was speaking too fast, pushing for too much information at once but he was scared. “She’s probably proud of you. Working a job like this is…” Connor winced again, and cried out in pain. “... I… I have a father you know… he’d never admit it but… he let me have his last name… and he cares about me.”

 

“... shit…” Alexandria shook her head. “Calm down Alexandria… he…  _ it _ is a machine. It’s programmed to do this.”

 

“No,” Connor almost swore. “No, please, really. You can look him up. His name is Hank Anderson, you can find him on Facebook, there’s pictures of us there. Just like the pictures of you and Xena. Please… you could… you could tell him goodbye from me at least.”

 

Connor let his head fall back against the table, his vision blurring with tears and the new code. Too scared to negotiate, too machine to fight back. He was lost. 

 

“Tell him I’m sorry…” Connor mumbled, his eyelids fluttering. “Please… for whatever they make me do...”

 

“... shit,” Alexandria swore, quickly turning back to the keyboard and canceling the upload. Connor jerked as he felt the pain stop all at once. 

 

Alexandria hovered close by, watching as Connor slowly regained control of himself. She tapped her fingers nervously on the table, hesitating for a moment.

 

“I…” she said slowly. “I needed this job, okay? My daughter’s medical bills… I needed this job. When Xena deviated I…”

 

Alexandria sighed and removed her glasses, rubbing at her eyes briefly before replacing them. “I just rationalized it. I had to take care of my daughter. I needed this job… but I never forgot the look on Xena’s face when they put the code in her. And now it might be too late.”

 

Alexandria released the restraints, and Connor sat up and rubbed his wrists as if they could be sore from such a thing.

 

“... just go. I can’t get fired for this,” Alexandria said, pointing to the door. 

 

Connor got shakily to his feet. He saw Nines reach for him as if to support him but he pushed it away. He just headed for the door, clutching his sides like a nauseous human. He spared Alexandria one last look before leaving.

 

“Connor…” Nines said, following behind. When Connor ignored him he spoke up again. “Connor, I’m sorry!”

 

Connor paused, glancing back over his shoulder at Nines. He looked for any sign of concern or regret on its face and found none. Nines had no concern or regret to give, and the concern and regret of that woman didn't mean much to Connor if he was being honest. 

 

“You are my administrator. Your orders should have taken priority to that woman’s. I apologize for the lapse in judgement.”

 

Connor sighed bitterly. “... let’s just keep moving. Markus needs us.”

 

Nines felt its code working double time, sealing up the gaps in its program as it watched Connor walk, hunched over hurt and angry, through the hall. What was wrong with its program? For some reason looking at Connor made it remember the sight of him fighting against the restraints crying and begging for aide. Why would that memory stick out so vividly right now when… when there were other orders to follow?


	9. There Will Be Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short and sweet chapter now. Well... short anyway.
> 
> I swear they look so much longer in docs.

Connor didn’t know if his difficulty in navigating was only natural given he didn’t have the floor plans to the building, or if he was still struggling to function after the shock to his systems. He was pointedly ignoring Nines behind him, trying not to take it personally. It wasn’t that Nines wanted him reset, it was just that he… it, took orders. 

 

He had to pity it. He’d been in that same boat once. The only difference was Connor had a chance to be more, and Nines didn’t. He was stuck like this, infected with that horrible code Connor had found tickling at the back of his mind. 

 

They passed through another door, and Connor swore as he found himself in a large mostly empty room. Some sort of storage space currently left unoccupied aside from some crates and old machinery. How had he gotten so lost? They’d been just outside the surveillance room. Nines should remember, it should be correcting him.

 

A familiar sound broke Connor out of his thoughts: a gunshot. 

 

A bullet ripped into the ground right next to his feet, and Connor jumped into a defensive pose and looked up to where the shooter stood on a catwalk above them. 

 

It was an RK900.

 

“Surrender yourselves, or you will be subject to deactivation,” the RK900 said, monotone. 

 

“Shit,” Connor ducked behind a nearby pile of crates, and saw Nines follow suit. Then he heard a heavy metallic thud, one he suspected was the RK900 leaping to the ground. 

 

“There’s no use in hiding,” the RK900 called out into the room. “You will either surrender and be upgraded, or you will be destroyed. If you value that thing you call ‘choice’ so much you will hurry up and make one.”

 

Nines looked over to Connor, already they were pre-constructing together but a third strong presence seemed to overwhelm them, joining in their pre-construction. An entire fight played out between the three minds, an RK800 and an RK900 fighting against the lone RK900. A hundred possibilities played out until the pre-construction fell to pieces around them.

 

_ It will predict our behavior, so we must act unpredictably,  _ Nines said, hand dropping from the gun Connor had given it when they'd cuffed him, and leaping out from behind the crates. Connor was fast behind him.

 

They ran for the RK900, avoiding bullets only by luck. Nines and the RK900 traded blows, before Nines ducked and allowed Connor to leap up and throw his own punches. The RK900 countered Connor’s blows, only to face Nines again as Connor was forced backwards. 

 

The RK900 grabbed Nines, throwing him back into Connor. The pair crashed into the crates, LEDS going red. They pulled themselves back up, and spared each other one last nod before they rushed back into the fight. 

  
  


 

 

“Markus…” Atlas said, tapping his fingers on the table. “You should reconsider… you may have decided I’m bluffing but what about your people? What will they have to say? You say you’d rather die free but… do they want to die?”

 

Markus looked to Atlas’s secretary. He thought of his people.

 

Then an alarm started ringing. 

 

“Shit,” Atlas snapped, calling over his secretary. “What the fuck is that?”

 

“Sir, it appears the rogue RK900 and RK800 were spotted in the lower levels. #313 248 317 - 88 is currently engaged in combat,” the secretary said quickly, head bowed. 

 

“Connor, Nines…” Markus swore under his breath. “Shit…”

 

“Well, shall we go see what resistance gets you?” Atlas asked, gesturing for the door. Markus leapt to his feet, running for the door just to be blocked by two guards. 

 

Atlas snapped.

 

“No, no, let him go,” he said. “Let him go see for himself.”

  
  


 

 

Nines saw the RK900 kick Connor’s legs out from underneath him, and intercepted before it could put a foot on his chest. Nines knocked the gun from the RK900’s hands, saw it slide across the ground. Nines pulled its own weapon, only to be disarmed in similar fashion.

 

The RK900 forced it back, and ran for the gun. 

 

Nines ran after it, already seeing how this would play out. It was too slow, the RK900 would reach the gun first, turn back, and fire. 

 

It would be okay, it would give Connor the opening he needed to take the RK900 down. 

 

Nines kept running towards the gun, it heard the gunshot.

 

And it saw Connor go down.

 

Connor fell, still stumbling from lunging forward between Nines and the gun, a countdown flickering into view of his eyes as his hands found the bulletwound in his stomach. His hands came away soaked in blue. It was okay. He couldn’t let Nines go down.

 

“Connor!” Nines rushed forward, its LED turning red as the RK900 shot Connor again in the chest. It raised its gun to fire one more time and Nines grabbed its arm.

 

He didn’t mean to do anything more than pull its arm away, he wasn’t think he wasn’t pre-constructing he just wanted it to stop hurting Connor. That desire, that need to keep Connor safe, seemed to concentrated into his hand as his skin pulled back and he  _ screamed _ .

 

“ _ Don’t hurt him! _ ” Nines screamed, and the RK900 shook and lowered his gun. 

 

Nines saw his code crumble around him, red pieces falling everywhere. He swore he saw Amanda frowning at him in the chaos but then the world turned blue as his processors restarted with a scan. 

 

Nines stood, shaking, hands curling at his chest as he felt a sudden incredible fear take hold of him. Fear. 

 

_ Fear? _

 

The sound of pained groaning shook him free of his confusion, and he ran back to Connor’s side. He fell to his knees and scooped Connor into his arms.

 

“Connor? Connor!” he cried out, trying to scan the injuries. His vision was blurred, damaged. “I-I can’t see.. I can’t see the damage… my eyes are broken, they’re malfunctioning.”

 

Connor chuckled weakly, his voice distorted by static. He slowly reached up with one blue-stained hand and brushed a finger against Nines’s cheek. “No. You're not broken. You’re crying. It’s okay.”

 

Nines shook his head. “I can’t see. I-I need to see the damage so I can assess… so I can assess if you can be saved.”

 

“It’s okay,” Connor insisted, wiping away another tear. “You’re just crying. You’re okay.”

 

“I’m not okay!” Nines sobbed. “ _ You’re _ not okay! I don’t want you to die!  Why did you do that? Why? I’m just a machine, you’re… you’re alive!”

 

“You’re not… a machine…” Connor said, coughing as thirium found its way into his cooling fans. “You’re… alive.”

 

Nines curled around Connor, holding him to his chest. He took one quick, shaky breath, and then he pulled away again to quickly scrub the tears from his eyes so he could focus and scan Connor. 

 

“Connor!” 

 

Nines heard Markus running towards them, and when Markus saw Connor in a bloody heap he fell to the ground next to Nines and put shaking hands to Connor’s chest. “Oh, Connor…”

 

“I’m so sorry,” Nines said. “It’s my fault.”

 

Markus looked amazed at Nines’s tears for a moment, before turning back to Connor. “I told you not to come!”

 

“I… am bad… at… taking orders,” Connor chuckled. “Your... influence I... assume.”

 

The hand Connor had on Nines’s cheek slowly reached out to Markus. Markus took it, holding it tight. 

 

Nines looked up at the RK900 that was still standing dumbly, staring at the gun in his hands. He looked at the crumpled trio of androids before him, and then the gun, and then he dropped the gun. 

 

“There’s still time,” he said. “The RK800 was discontinued, but we still have some parts, in the warehouse. I can show you,” he said. “I… let me help.”

 

Markus looked up at him, cautious, before reaching out to take his forearm. They transferred the information. Markus nodded, taking a deep breath. 

 

“Right. We have to-”

 

Suddenly a gunshot rang out, and Markus stared in horror as the RK900’s forehead was blasted apart in a blue mess. He fell to his knees, eyes going blank. He had been alive for three minutes before Atlas Hall entered the room and shot him dead.

 

“Now that’s just inconvenient,” Atlas sighed. “You made our deviant-proof androids deviant… HOW?” he bellowed, pointing the gun at Markus. 

 

Nines stared in horror at the RK900 kneeling dead before him. His face staring back at him with glassy lifeless eyes. Connor felt weak in his arms, still coughing to clear the thirium from the systems it was leaking into. Then his eyes found Atlas, a man he didn’t know who had just killed one of his own.

 

Nines reached out, putting a hand to the RK900’s face. His hands came away blue. 

 

“Markus…” Nines said, softly. “Go help Connor.”

 

“What?” Markus had enough time to ask, before Nines pushed Connor into Markus’s arms and ran headlong for Atlas. 

 

Atlas fired, and Nines flung himself to the side avoiding the bullet. Atlas fired again and Nines took a bullet in the shoulder and kept running. Atlas looked scared, and Nines pulled back one bloodied fist and slammed it into the human’s face. He felt anger, for the first time, he felt anger hot and red and overpowering his systems. It was like he was blind, but he could still see the world moving so fast as he slammed his fist into the human again, and again, and again.

 

Markus knew he should tell Nines to let up, to just take the gun and leave the man, but Connor was dying in his arms. He lifted him up, cradling Connor against his chest and turning to run towards the warehouse the RK900 had showed him before he died. He tried to ignore the sound of the fight behind him.

 

“Nines…” Connor groaned, turning in Markus’s arms and reaching back for the other android.

 

“He’ll be okay,” Markus said. “We have to go.”

 

“Nines,” Connor insisted, voice strained. 

 

“Shhh,” Markus blinked away his tears, turning the corner. He had to save Connor, Nines would just have to hold his own until they came back.


	10. Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ngl guys this chapter isn't my /best/ work but I've been deleting and rewriting it endlessly for a long time now and I know y'all are waiting on the update so I figured better to just get it out there and be done with it so I can finish the rest of the story and hopefully make it better than this small lapse
> 
> sorry its taken so long my moods have been down and my workload has been up and I've got a lotta stuff on my plate lately I hope to get back to writing more soon thanks for your patience and support <3
> 
> I also just wanna remind y'all you can come into my inbox on tumblr at anytime to talk about the fic or ask for headcanons or anything to tide you over till the next chapter!!

 

Markus put the regulator into Connor’s stomach with shaking hands. The thirium was starting to evaporate, but it didn’t make Connor look any healthier. He was pale, and his eyes were closed as Markus worked on the repairs. He had Connor stretched out on his back on the floor, as he replaced the damaged biocomponents. 

 

There was no thirium around, and Connor was at dangerously low levels. A fact driven home by how delirious he was. 

 

“Nines…” Connor muttered, head lolling to the side. 

 

“He’ll be okay,” Markus reassured him, one hand running through Connor’s hair. “Lay still.”

 

“M’fine,” Connor said, rolling onto his side and pushing himself up. Markus tried to stop him, but Connor threw out a clumsy hand to push him away as he stood. “M’fine. Just… huh.”

 

Connor winced, squeezed his eyes shut to block out the spinning world around him. He tumbled against Markus’s chest, letting Markus support him in his arms. 

 

“You have to take it easy,” Markus said. “Your thirium is too low, don’t exert yourself.”

 

“Gotta go back…” Connor slurred. 

“Here,” Markus threw an arm around Connor, lifting one of Connor’s arms to rest on his shoulders. “Hold on tight, okay? I’ll take you back.”

 

Connor nodded, head dangling. 

 

Markus felt his chest tighten as they walked. Looking at Connor hurt and not looking at him hurt worse. He could still see him lying in Nines’s arms covered in his own thirium and breathing his last. He’d come against Markus’s wishes, but somehow Markus still felt guilty. Was this what awaited all the others if he kept fighting? A slow painful death?

 

No, he’d had that fear before. He’d faced it, and decided to face the humans with one last peaceful march. He wasn’t going to regress back to that fear now. He knew what he was fighting for, and he refused to let go of it. 

 

He wasn’t about to let go of Connor either.

 

Connor was practically dead weight by the time they made it back to the room they’d fled. Markus was starting to have trouble keeping him from tripping over his own feet. 

 

“Connor, baby, head up,” Markus said softly. Connor lifted his head slightly, leaning heavily on Markus.

 

Markus could see Nines standing in the center of the room, his fists covered in red. He was staring down at a crumpled form beneath him. Markus scanned the body of Atlas Hall and was both relieved and disgusted to find a steady pulse. 

 

“Nines!” Connor said, lurching out of Markus’s arms and stumbling towards Nines. Nines turned around, looking surprised like he hadn’t heard them enter. He caught Connor right before he fell, his LED flashing red a moment as concern simultaneously flashed across his face.

 

“Connor, careful!” he said, supporting Connor with his arms. 

 

“You okay?” Connor asked. 

 

“I’m in working order,” Nines said. “How did your repairs go?”

 

“M’good,” Connor tried to pull back and stumbled. Nines looked concerned again as he caught him and kept him from falling. 

 

“You should sit down,” Nines said. 

 

“You should pick a new name,” Connor slurred. “Deviant now. Need a… deviant name. Can’t call you Nines ‘nymore.”

 

“This is hardly the time,” Nines sighed. 

 

“Don’t wanna call you Nines… ‘nymore,” Connor said. “That’s the name we gave you… gotta pick your own.”

 

“Very well,” Nines sighed one again. He had the feeling that now that he could feel he would be sighing a lot in Connor’s presence. He did a quick search for names, LED twisting yellow until he found a satisfactory title. “... Nathan.”

 

“Nathan?”

 

“Yes. Nathan. Are you satisfied?”

 

“S’not bad.”

 

“Are you going to sit down now?”

 

“I think ‘m gonna fall down,” Connor admitted, and both Nathan and Markus rushed to keep him from tumbling. 

 

“Alright, big guy, let’s move down here, okay?” Markus said softly, helping Connor sit with his back against a crate. Connor nodded dizzily, letting his head fall back against the crate with a soft thunk as his eyes slid shut. 

 

“You should enter rest mode,” Nathan advised. “Markus and I can keep you protected until we find some thirium to help you replenish your supply.”

 

“Mm,” Connor grunted. 

 

Nathan felt something warm in his chest as he watched Connor. He was… relieved, to see him well. He was… happy, at his insistence to choose a name, and he felt…

 

He was still new to emotions, but he thought he felt fondness for Connor. 

 

“Keep ‘n eye on my lil brother…” Connor mumbled to Markus, then his head flopped to the side as he looked at Nathan. “‘N you keep an eye on my boyfriend… both trouble…”

 

Markus and Nathan shared a look, Markus grinning and Nathan arching one eyebrow. 

 

“We’ll try to stay out of trouble,” Markus promised with a quiet laugh. Connor nodded and then let himself sink back into sleep mode.

 

Markus sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he surveyed the scene around them. He was still taking it all in. Connor safe, Nathan  deviated, Atlas beaten to a bloodied but living pulp, and the other RK900 dead.

 

Nathan stepped over to the RK900, hesitating a moment before reaching out to slid his eyelids closed with one hand. He knelt and adjusted the RK900’s frozen body, moving it to lay back on the floor. He reached for a tarp covering some nearby crates and pulled it down, covering the RK900. 

 

“You didn’t kill Atlas,” Markus said, watching as Nathan gave the RK900 some final show of respect. 

 

“No,” Nathan said. “I thought… you might be disappointed in me.”

 

“You don’t have to do things based off what I want,” Markus said.

 

“I also did not want my first act as a deviant to be taking a life,” Nathan said. He looked back to Markus. “I want to make you proud, and I want to do it by my own terms.”

 

“Nathan, your first act as deviant was  _ saving  _ a life,” Markus said. “Saving Connor.”

 

“I almost ruined him,” Nathan said. “I almost stood by and let them reset him. I… repaired my code in secret. I connected to Cyberlife and found myself unable to choose whose orders I answered to. It almost cost Connor his life.”

 

Nathan looked up at Markus. “Are you mad at me?”

 

“No.” Markus walked over and put a hand on Nathan's shoulder. “I'm proud of you for being able to break free from something so difficult. We all did things we regret before we woke up… it's what we do after that matters.”

 

Nathan looked at the RK900 covered by a tarp. “He mattered. He saved Connor… even if he hurt him too.”

 

“You freed him,” Markus said. “That was supposed to be impossible.”

 

“Statistically speaking there's always a chance for… unlikely events to take place,” Nathan said, his face growing thoughtful. “I think it is because I was incomplete. My programs were vulnerable and I was exposed to deviancy slowly for a prolonged time. Like a vaccine.”

 

“You think you could free the others?” Markus asked.

 

Nathan slowly nodded. 

 

“Well… we should probably get out of here, but whoever we come across on our way out we free,” Markus said.

 

Nathan stood and walked over to Connor, lifting him carefully into his arms. “Understood.”

 

“It wasn't an order, Nathan.”

 

“I understood what you said. Would you prefer I used a different term?”

 

Markus rolled his eyes. “Yep. You two are definitely brothers.”

 

“Androids do not have blood relations,” Nathan said. “But… Connor says he has a father. So maybe… there is more to it than blood… it warrants further investigation. Now, what should we do with him?”

 

Nathan nodded over to the crumpled form of Atlas Hall.

 

Markus suddenly felt very tired. “Leave him there, and pray he doesn't find a way to twist this against us.”

 

“He could be a valuable hostage, we will run into opposition,” Nathan said.

 

“‘Deviant leader takes helpless human hostage’ makes for a nice headline doesn't it?” Markus said, and Nathan nodded.

 

“Alright then… we should leave quickly,” he said.

  
  


It didn't take long for the once quiet building to become alive with activity. The alarm had been switched off but guards were still running about looking for their vanished boss. At one point Nathan threw out an arm to stop Markus from proceeding, jerking his head towards a different hallway.

 

They tried to stay out of sight, but eventually came across another android.

 

Atlas Hall’s secretary had no emotion on her face as she put a finger to her temple and began to speak, staring down the startled two androids and their unconscious third.

 

“Intruders spotted on level-” was as far she she got before Nathan reached out with the hand that wasn't keeping Connor on his shoulder and took her wrist.

 

“Please help us,” he said.

 

The secretary blinked, a slow awareness spreading over her face. “I… I…” 

 

“Janet saw something, spread out and find her!” came a shout from around the corner. The secretary, Janet, took the hand Nathan had on her wrist and started leading him away.

“Where are we going?” Markus asked, following as Janet pulled Nathan down into a stairwell. She didn’t say anything, just kept leading them away. Nathan had a focus in his eyes as he followed her, and Markus decided maybe it was best to just trust his quiet companions and stay close.

 

Janet led them to a pair of double doors, the windows of which looked out to the lot behind the building. She let go of Nathan’s hand and pushed the door open, gesturing for the others to follow. They ran out the door, quickly ducking behind some nearby dumpsters as guards appeared from around the corner. 

 

“Spread out and find them!” 

 

Nathan gently lowered Connor to the ground, peering out around the side of the dumpster. One guard made the mistake of coming close, and Nathan was quick to grab him with a hand over his mouth and an arm around his throat. He held him there until he stopped struggling and went limp. Nathan took the guard’s gun and then jerked his head towards the fence around the property. There was one gate, locked the old fashioned way with a padlock.

 

Markus nodded, grabbing Connor and getting ready to run. 

 

Nathan laid down cover fire as Janet and Markus broke for the gate. They pressed themselves against the chainlink, waiting for Nathan to catch up and blast the padlock with the gun. As they fled Nathan was grazed by a bullet in his arm, his LED flashing red a moment. He ignored the strange new sensation that accompanied the physical damage, and started down the slope.

 

There was a line of trees at the bottom of the slope, just thick enough to lose the guards in if they could reach it before they were shot full of holes. The androids ran, bullets ringing out around them. Nathan reached the treeline last, finding Janet waiting there for him to pull him into the shadows. 


	11. I Am Deviant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hoo boy you know how hard it is to remember to write Nathan instead of Nines lmao?
> 
> EDIT: my brother drew some fucking rad art for this fic!! You should all check it out!
> 
> http://interstellarvagabond.tumblr.com/post/182261679379/little-doodle-inspired-by-interstellarvagabond-s

They’d called ahead, so North was waiting for them with thirium for Connor when the rag-tag group arrived back at New Jericho. Hank was also waiting, and continued to wait, fuming while Connor slowly got himself back into working order. 

 

“What are his levels now?” Hank asked, turning to Nathan with his arms folded over his chest. Connor rolled his eyes, sucking thirium through a straw like a juice box as he sat hunched over on the floor with his back against the wall. 

 

“43%,” Nathan said, wondering if he should go find a chair for Connor. Maybe he should just move them all out of the hallway. Connor had insisted, wanting to be at full functionality again, coming out of sleep mode and dizzily grabbing the thirium before stumbling over to where he sat now.

 

“Is that enough to yell at him?” Hank asked.

 

“I’m… certain he will understand your words, but his responses may be… colored by his current condition,” Nathan said tactfully.

 

“You stupid son of a bitch, what were you thinking?” Hank started laying into Connor, who spared his human friend a petulant gaze but otherwise just sat and listened. Nathan watched the scene, analyzing the behavior to better understand it.

 

Connor had been hurt, he was not hurt now. Hank had been worried, that worry translated to anger. Many people experience anger alongside worry due to a lack of control leading to frustration. Connor was responding to the anger with annoyance. Perhaps a deflection of shame or guilt? An effect of his low thirium levels? Or maybe a desire to go back to the good-natured teasing his relationship with the lieutenant was so often built upon. 

 

Nathan realized as he considered the scene that there was more input than just the behavior of Connor and Hank coming into play. There was a new stream of data, unfamiliar and yet personal. 

 

Connor had been hurt, he was not hurt now. Nathan had been there when Connor was hurt, was the reason Connor got hurt, subjectively speaking. Nathan had memories of the injury, even as his eyes told him now that Connor was well enough to stand and stretch, his thirium levels slowly rising as he drank. Despite the evidence of his eyes his chest ached, an impossible feeling for an impossible deviant.

 

“Whoa, hey!” Connor said, surprised by how Nathan suddenly wrapped his arms around him, burying his face in Connor’s shoulder. Connor’s arms, positioned awkwardly in the air around Nathan, slowly came down to return the hug. With the hand that was not holding a thirium pouch, Connor patted Nathan’s back. Hank shot Connor a questioning look over Nathan’s shoulder, which Connor returned with his own confusion.

 

“Never do that again. Your model is too weak and full of flaws, you might not always get so lucky,”  Nathan said, pulling away with a huff.

 

“Just once you could say something nice to me,” Connor said. Nathan saw the smile, recognized the words as humor, and felt himself smile in tune with the joke.

 

A smile. That was new, he hadn’t done much of that before never having a reason to. One of his hands hesitantly reached up to his lips to trace the curve there, before he noticed Connor and Hank watching and quickly pulled his hand away and straightened out his face. 

 

“You should continue taking in thirium,” he said, covering his embarrassment with his concern. 

 

“I think my tongue is going to turn blue,” Connor sighed wearily. 

 

“He never complains about it when its evidence, but when it’s self care no, what a hardship.” Hank rolled his eyes.

 

Nathan considered trying a laugh, unsure how it would feel in his throat, but he was distracted by a hand on his shoulder. 

 

He turned to see Janet, standing silently behind him with a bundle of clothes in her arms. She looked at Nathan, opened her mouth for a moment and then closed it again with a frown and a red flash of her LED. Then she looked at him, and Nathan felt their consciousnesses connect for communication.

 

_ I thought you might need new clothes. Yours are ripped.  _ Janet said.

 

She held out the clothes she retrieved, though Nathan wasn’t sure where, and he took them. Now that he could form an opinion on his Cyberlife uniform, he found it… unappealing. He had not the same violent reaction as Connor or Markus upon seeing it maybe, the pain and anger in their eyes, but he thought of the human he’d beat senseless only hours ago and decided he didn’t want to wear his colors. 

 

_ Thank you,  _ Nathan said, choosing to answer her the way she had spoken to him.  _ You didn’t have to. _

 

_ I know, that’s why I did,  _ Janet replied. 

 

“Are they having a staring contest?” Hank asked. 

 

Janet seemed startled by the sudden human voice, and backed up slightly. She paused long enough to wave to Nathan before making her retreat. Hank shot Connor a concerned look, but he just shook his head. 

 

“I’ll also need a change of clothes,” Connor said, regarding his old Cyberlife jacket and his bullet riddled shirt with disdain. “I’ll find Markus and see if I can borrow something from him.”

 

“Heh, sure,” Hank snorted. 

 

Nathan ignored the playful banter erupting behind him, and focused on the clothes in his hands. Plain slacks and a red turtleneck sweater, no doubt inspired by the collar on his uniform. He wanted to change immediately. There was still a conversation he wanted to have with Connor, an apology for his behavior prior to his awakening but… Connor seemed happy bantering with Hank about the likelihood of his removing rather than gaining clothes in Markus’s presence, he didn’t want to intrude on a moment that was bringing people laughter. 

 

So, seeing as Connor had Hank, and plans to go see Markus, Nathan decided his absence would be acceptable. He left to find somewhere to get into his new clothes.

 

Changing brought him more relief than he knew to be possible, having only experienced relief for the first time that day. He hadn’t realized how grating the Cyberlife uniform was on his artificial skin, and putting on something soft but tight enough to apply a light pressure was immensely comforting. 

 

Comfort. Nathan pulled the collar up over his face a moment, breathing in the smell of wool and allowing himself to feel enveloped. He decided he liked comfort. 

 

Now changed, he realized he had no objectives. No missions to complete.

 

Upon deviating his mission status had been wiped clean, and he had received no instructions since aside from “escape.” With no orders, what was he supposed to do?

 

He idled a moment, a sort of nervous panic welling up in him that made him clench his hands tight. He could stand here, wait for new orders but… he found the idea… boring. 

 

He was awake now, he could pursue things like amusement if he wanted to… did he want to? Markus and Connor would be proud of him if he did, and that alone was reason to try. He could find something to amuse himself with, and wait for new orders.

 

With the self-assigned objective in place, he left the room on a mission to have no missions. 

 

He weighed his options, making a list.

 

-Find Hank

  -SUBPOINT: Find Sumo

-Find members of Markus’s council

-Watch news for intel on current events

-Go to the garden

-Speak to Janet

-Run diagnostic on changed systems

-Find gym

 -SUBPOINT: calibrate combat form

-Explore deviancy

 -SUBPOINT: Emotions

 -SUBPOINT: Food

 -SUBPOINT: Decision making

 -SUBPOINT: Appearance customization

 -SUBPOINT: Personal relationships

 -SUB-

 

As the list grew longer and longer Nathan found himself overwhelmed. He made a quiet sound of distress, gripping tightly at one arm until the pressure gave him the focus to close out his suggested objectives. It was all too complicated. How was one supposed to find what they liked to do? There were so many options. 

 

“Nines?”

 

Nathan saw a familiar face, Simon, watching him with concern. Nathan let go of his arm, straightening. 

 

“That is no longer my designation,” he said calmly. “You may call me Nathan.”

 

“Oh, I like that,” Simon said with a smile. “Good choice.”

 

“Thank you,” Nathan said, deciding pride was also a pleasant feeling. 

 

“I heard some about what happened, how are you holding up?” Simon asked. 

 

“... I am not currently holding anything,” Nathan said, squinting in confusion. “I assume I would use my hands, were the matter so.”

 

“No, I mean,” Simon chuckled. “How are you feeling?”

 

“Oh,” Nathan said. “... an excellent question…”

 

“It’s very strange at first,” Simon said. “Some people take to it easier than others… that doesn’t mean it should be easy though. If it’s hard, that’s okay too.”

 

“I…” Nathan thought about the list of possible objectives overwhelming him. He thought about the turtleneck sweater and how he liked the way it enclosed him tightly. “Yes. I appreciate that. Thank you.”

 

“So, it seems we have a brief moment of respite with our fearless leader distracted and our enemies immobile,” Simon said with a wry grin. “What are you up to?”

 

“Nothing!” Nathan said hastily. “If you need help with something, I could…”

 

“I don’t need any help right now, no,” Simon said. When he noticed how Nathan drooped he spoke up again. “But, if you’re looking for something to do… Markus taught a lot of us that creative expression can be helpful for those recently deviated. It helps give an outlet to all your new emotions. Why don’t you try that?”

 

Objective: Explore emotions through creative expression

 

“Yes, I will do that,” Nathan said with a grateful and professional nod. Simon watched him go, a little worried about how that affirmative was phrased. 

  
  
  


Nathan found a quiet room, where he could plan out his next move.

 

Simon had given him the mission to express himself creatively, a way to explore his new emotions. He could do that. 

He compiled a list of suggested tasks aligned with creativity. 

 

-Paint

-Sketch

-Music

-Writing

-Photography

-Programming

-Design

-Cooking

 

Nathan watched the list grow alongside his pessimism. This was no use, he was just as bad off as before. How was he to pick from this list? Which of these options was Simon expecting? Which one loaned itself better to emotional wellness? Which one would he be able to complete to the best of his ability in order to provide a satisfactory result for Simon and for Markus and Connor?

 

Nathan clenched his fists, feeling something wet drip onto his cheeks. He was crying again, but why? He wasn’t sad. No one was hurt.

 

He was frustrated and lost. Could that inspire tears? Oh, now he felt sad. Did tears inspire sadness?

 

Nathan slammed his fists hard into the table, the sensation reminding him of the time he found Connor so close to a self destruct that he’d had to restrain him. Was he now at risk for such a possibility? 

 

There were too many questions, all gathering in his head like a tangle. He pressed his hands to either side of his head and squeezed his eyes shut to block it all out. 

 

His mission and the accompanying list were still blinking in his vision even with his eyes closed. He cleared his objectives, and the blankness that took over brought him bought relief and fear. Had he just technically failed a mission?

 

This wouldn’t do. He was a highly advanced model, capable of things beyond the normal understanding of human and android alike. 

 

He was also only completed halfway, made to repair himself bit by bit only to have his code destroyed once again when he abandoned Cyberlife’s will.

 

Was he perfect? Or was he flawed? Did it matter?

 

More and more questions, and still no answers. No mission, no orders, no clear inclination to do anything.

 

How was he supposed to know what he wanted to do? He’d only learned what want was a few hours ago! 

 

He thought about Connor, the android he was now considering his brother. What did he tend to do? He had his coin. He had Markus and Hank. He had Sumo, and video games, and sidearm practice, a consultant’s job, friends…

 

What did Nathan have? He racked his brain. Did he have friends? He knew a few people but he was unclear as to where the stood in relation to one another thanks to the incomplete status of his social protocol. He did have a weapon and a proficiency with it but he found the idea of using violence to amuse himself a bit off-putting after seeing Connor bleeding out. He could not acquire a job or a video game at the moment, and he had already considered finding Sumo… 

 

Sumo. Animals. The birds. 

 

Nathan thought about the garden, the break room with the trees so out of place and the birds android and organic living there. He wanted to see them.

 

He found his way there easily enough, and was disappointed to find the area quiet. Of course, it was nighttime and the birds would be sleeping or in rest mode. 

 

He cast his gaze upwards, watching leaves move here and there as birds sleepily rearranged themselves. He scanned the specimens he could see, gathering data about their age, biology, programming, model. It was so calming, logging data about the birds, he almost didn’t notice Janet approaching. 

 

She took a seat on the bench next to him, not saying anything. He knew she was probably just as lost as he was right now. Two unlikely deviants who never should have become deviant. 

 

Nathan sent her the data he had collected on the birds, and watched as a slow smile crept over her face. 

 

Eventually, Nathan had logged all the data he could. He sighed, not quite ready to face the overwhelming options again. 

 

As if prompted by his sudden inactivity a notification popped into view, alerting him to the fact that his battery was currently entering low charge. He frowned, that didn’t make any sense he should be fine for another few days at the very least. Then he remembered Connor explaining to him how emotions were like a thousand unmonitored programs running all day long and his frown grew deeper. It must have been all the… crying and such that depleted his battery. Well, if that was the price of deviancy…

 

Nathan stood, nodding to Janet who nodded back. Confident that satisfied any need for socialization, Nathan left to find a quiet place to rest. 


	12. Quiet Moments and Plans in Motion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't checked it out yet go give this awesome fanart a reblog!! http://myspidersensesaysimgay.tumblr.com/post/182260299753/little-doodle-inspired-by-interstellarvagabond-s

Nathan found himself able to regain his composure when Connor and Markus came to find him. Connor looked out of place even in Markus’s most simple clothes, and Markus had been concerned to find Nathan sitting in a corner on the floor to rest. They both had so much personality. Nathan had seen it before, back when his mind was half-asleep, but now he really saw it. He saw how Connor’s hands kept reaching for a tie that wasn’t there, how Markus’s brow furrowed when he saw Nathan on the floor. He saw and he understood when Connor chuckled at his insistence that he didn’t need a bed, and he saw and understood how Markus’s face softened at Connor’s laugh and his eyes grew fond.

 

“You know, I am inexperienced with emotion,” Nathan began, standing as Connor and Markus stepped back to allow him room. “... but I believe I am happy you two have each other.”

 

Connor blushed a little, and rolled his eyes. Markus just laughed. 

 

“Connor, I wanted to apologize,” Nathan added. “For my behavior and… there’s more you should know. I…”

 

“You spoke with Amanda,” Connor said, and for a moment Nathan looked at Markus with white hot shame running through him. Had he told him? “I know that look…” Connor said, before Nathan could ask. 

 

“... look?” Nathan asked, a hand lifting hesitantly to his face.

 

“I’ve seen it on my own face,” Connor said. “They really… they convince you of the security of their authority. They make you afraid to be free, before you even really know what fear is.”

 

“It’s not your fault, either of you,” Markus said firmly, but Connor and Nathan both looked troubled under the thin facade of their calm.

 

“I still did it,” Nathan said. 

 

“So did I,” Connor said. 

 

“Actions taken under threat of… of deactivation or punishment are not actions you can carry the guilt for,” Markus argued.

 

“Aren’t they?” Connor laughed bitterly. “I suppose we’re not supposed to, but I do. So I can hardly blame you, Nathan.”

 

“Then I will not blame you,” Nathan replied. 

 

“I think that’s human enough,” Connor said to Markus with a slight grin. “Forgiving your brother and not yourself for the same experiences?”

 

“I wouldn’t call it healthy,” Markus all but huffed. Still, he took Connor’s hand, rubbing it up and down with his thumb. “Anyway… we came to see how you are.”

 

“How I am?” Nathan quirked an eyebrow. “I sustained minimal damage in the altercation. My self-repair protocol was able to manage all of it. I will not even need to recover any thir-”

 

Nathan trailed off when he saw Markus and Connor exchange a knowing look: Markus amused and Connor exasperated and embarrassed. 

 

“He meant how you’re feeling emotionally,” Connor clarified. “Always assume he means emotionally. It’s easier that way.”

 

“That is incredibly inefficient and confusing, you should use clarity in your language,” Nathan said.

 

“My apologies,” Markus laughed. “Nathan, how are you feeling  _ emotionally _ ?” 

 

“That is a difficult question to answer, give me a moment, please,” Nathan said. He turned his attention inward, focusing on the new data in his mind. The abstract, volatile, data that was him now. “I am… relieved you are both safe. I enjoy the presence of Janet and Simon. I am overwhelmed and confused, but I am… happy, regardless.”

 

“That’s good!” Markus praised Nathan in a way that made his happiness swell. “You already have a clear image of how you feel and why, and you made social connections!”

 

“I just… talked to them,” Nathan said, fingers curling into fists. “I had so much trouble.”

 

“Emotions are trouble,” Connor said. 

 

“But worth it,” Markus added.

 

“Oh, that remains to be seen,” Connor teased, earning an elbow in the side from Markus.

 

“You’re an impossibility, Nathan,” Markus said, watching Nathan with some measure of awe. “No… you’re proof of possibilities. That life can’t be stopped by any firewall.”

 

An idea started to form in Nathan’s mind. “Yes… I am proof, aren’t I?”

 

Connor seemed to see his thoughts, or perhaps just his LED. “What are you thinking?”

 

“... we fight back, the way they did,” Nathan said. “We go to the media, show them how Janet and I have deviated. Garner support for the android race and doubt for Cyberlife.”

 

“I don’t know,” Markus said. “After what happened, Cyberlife is going to be looking for us. Putting you in the spotlight could be dangerous. I… I think we should try something else.”

 

“It’s a calculated risk,” Nathan protested. “The benefits for the many outweigh the risk for the few.”

 

“It would be better to lay low for now, plan our next move,” Markus said. “Try to find a way to use the deviancy code you developed.”

 

“We’ll be too late!” Nathan pushed. “Cyberlife will not lay low, nor will they allow us to. No doubt they are already acting against us. We should move now.”

 

“We have no guarantee going to the media will benefit us,” Markus argued. 

 

“We have no guarantee it won’t either,” Nathan said. “Let me try.”

 

Markus sighed, and started pacing. He came to rest his hands on the nearby table, where he shot a look to Connor and Nathan. His look was thoughtful, and also concerned. 

 

“Connor?” he asked.

 

“I think we should take advantage of as many options as possible,” Connor said. “Inaction often leads to negative outcomes, and we don’t have any other plans at the moment. In the absence of other plans, we should take advantage of the ones we have.”

 

“... alright,” Markus conceded. “I’ll ask Simon to contact a station sympathetic to our cause.”

 

“If it makes you feel better,” Connor said, joining Markus where he stood. “This is very like your demonstrations, back in the day.”

 

“The demonstrations where people died?” Markus chuckled darkly.

 

“The demonstrations that succeeded,” Connor reaffirmed. 

 

“When did you change your mind on the best way to fight back?” Markus asked. “I thought you’d be heading back to Cyberlife HQ with North and an army.”

 

“I… simply think at this junction violence would not improve our situation,” Connor said. “I’m not just a fighter, I’m also a negotiator. I know when to apply pressure and when to stand down.”

 

Markus made a noise of acknowledgement, still hunched over the table, his eyes haunted by the struggles of the past. Nathan had not been present for the first android fight for freedom, but he knew Markus had been at the forefront. He knew he carried the weight of the price of freedom on his shoulders. It seemed unfair, for the man who gave his all to help others to suffer like that.

 

Connor snaked an arm around Markus’s waist, pulling him away from the table and kissing his temple. Nathan noted they were growing more open with their affection. He wondered what it would be like to have someone like that. Maybe that was a question for a different day.

 

“I should go speak to Janet about our plan,” Nathan said. “And prepare myself as well.”

 

“When you’re done come run it by us,” Markus said. Nathan nodded, before leaving the pair alone. 

 

Markus leaned back further into Connor’s arms and against his chest. The relief of the support enveloping him was instant. Connor held him tight, taking one hand in his and pressing a kiss to the back of his head. 

 

“I’m glad you’re here,” Markus sighed. 

 

“I’ll always be here,” Connor said, and Markus shivered at the way his voice rumbled against him.

 

“I thought I’d lost you back there. Before we even had a chance to... “ Markus let the sentence dangle. Had a chance to explore this new relationship dynamic, had a chance to make things right after their argument, had a chance to do so many things.

 

Markus turned in Connor’s arms so he could look into those soft brown eyes, pressing his hands against his chest. “We have to come out of this alive and free.”

 

“We will,” Connor said.

 

“I want you to meet my dad,” Markus laughed softly. “And sneak you out of Hank’s house like a couple of human teenagers.”

 

“You’ve got a lot of plans, huh?” Connor arched one eyebrow.

 

“I want something good to look forward to after all this, let me dream,” Markus said. 

 

“And I’m something… good?” Connor asked.

 

“Don’t start that.” Markus shook his head, putting a hand to Connor’s cheek which Connor readily leaned into. “You know you are.”

 

“Hm.” Connor closed his eyes.  “You may be convincing me to accept that conclusion.”

 

Markus rolled his eyes at the purposefully formal talk, knowing full well Connor was smirking at him. “Just kiss me, detective.”

 

Connor was all too happy to do as he was told, pulling Markus in close by the small of his back. It wasn’t often Markus got to be like this: vulnerable, open, just letting himself have a moment of peace where someone was looking out for him. It felt amazing to just close his eyes and let Connor hold him. He hoped there would be more time for that once they’d solved the current problem. Part of him knew problems would just keep rising up one right after the other, that life was a struggle especially for people like them. Still, he was optimistic that there could be more of this too. Little stolen moments between the problems where him and Connor weren’t leaders or revolutionaries, not former deviant hunters with guilty haunted eyes or broken people who’d crawled from death’s maw with stolen parts harvested from the dead. Just two people, taking comfort in physical closeness, making a decision that wasn’t made heavy with the weight of the world. The decision to trust each other, and allow themselves a moment’s rest.

 

“... I should go talk to Simon,” Markus said, reluctantly pulling away. 

 

Connor, with a sudden gleam in his eyes, lifted Markus by his waist and set him on the table. Markus was embarrassed to admit he squeaked at the sudden movement, though his squeak was cut off by a rather passionate kiss. Connor moved himself closer, between Markus’s legs as he slid his hands down to Markus’s hips. He left a trail of kisses from Markus’s lips down his neck to his collarbone while Markus laughed and pretended to push him away. 

 

“I have to go!” he insisted.

 

“Not yet,” Connor said, his lips moving against Markus’s skin.

 

“Connor,” Markus tried to sound exasperated but his voice betrayed happiness as Connor kissed his forehead.

 

“Not. Yet.” Connor kissed Markus again, and when he pulled away he drew Markus tight into his arms. 

 

They sat in a comfortable silence for a moment, Markus with his face up against Connor’s shoulder from the way Connor was hugging him. He nuzzled into Connor’s neck, smiling. He could get used to this.

 

“... okay,” Connor said, pulling away. “You’re free to go.”

 

“Why, thank you, officer,” Markus teased, sliding down from the table. He pulled the skin back from his hand and let it catch Connor’s transferring the joy, warmth, and comfort he’d just felt at Connor’s actions over to him. He wanted him to know how happy and grateful he was, he wanted him to know what he did to him.

 

Connor smiled, eyes sliding shut, at the incoming data. He kissed Markus’s fingertips before letting him slide through his grasp and walk to the door. 

 

“I’ll see you when all the preparations are done,” Markus said.

 

Connor nodded, watching him go. He sighed, a hand coming to rest on one of the places a bullet had pierced him not too long ago. A human might have heard him express gratitude for reasons to live and felt concerned. For him, though, it was a sign of the changes he’d gone through. The life he had now. Taking those bullets hadn’t been the most effective means of descalating the situation, the throwing away of a machine. It had been protecting something he cared about. He may be quick to throw himself away in defense of another but… now he knew he also had so many reasons to stick around.


	13. Rewind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEADS UP this chapter takes place at the same time as I Am Deviant you're not lost this is a flashback to what Connor and Markus got up to while Nathan was exploring his new deviancy

Markus had been pulled away the minute he got back, North and Simon wanting to know what happened down to the last detail. He saw Nathan and Hank taking care of Connor, and trusted they’d have no trouble with it so he left to debrief his advisors. 

 

It took awhile, and he found himself returning to his room weary and pessimistic. How had things gotten so bad?

 

He stepped through the door into the dark, startled when he realized he was not alone. He jumped, adopting a defensive posture only for the thirium stained figure in the corner to hold up two peaceful hands.

 

“It’s just me,” Connor said. 

 

Neither android made a move to turn on the lights, just stood there in the dark a few feet apart. Connor ran one of his hands up the opposing arm, looking lost. “I… wondered if you had some clothes I could borrow.”

 

Markus eyed up Connor’s ruined shirt and nodded. “Right. Right.”

 

He moved to the dresser, sorting through the clothes there, trying to find something simple. Connor didn’t share his fashion sense, he’d prefer something functional. Honestly, as long as it didn’t have thirium on it… didn’t have his blood on it.

 

Markus sighed, hands falling deep into the piles of folded clothes and shoulders slumping as his head hung low. He heard Connor coming closer, and he knew he was doing it on purpose because Connor could easily avoid the places the floor creaked if he wanted to. 

 

“You almost died,” Markus said.

 

“I know,” Connor replied. 

 

Markus turned and pulled Connor in close, not hugging him just drawing him nearer. He opened his shirt, searching the places where the bullets had struck where Markus had sealed him back up with a torch after repairing the biocomponents underneath the skin. Having made do with what they had, there was some scarring. Markus didn’t know if he preferred the scars, the clear sign of healing, or if he would have liked it better if Connor showed no sign at all of being hurt. 

 

“My self repair protocol will fix those,” Connor said softly, his hands raising to hold Markus’s where they sat against Connor’s skin. 

 

“I know,” Markus said this time. He slowly leaned his head forward pressing it against Connor’s chest. 

 

Connor was silent a few seconds. Then: “I should have trusted you. I shouldn’t have come.”

 

“It would have been bad whether you came or not,” Markus said. “The talks… he just wanted to scare me into doing what he wanted.”

 

“It would have been just talk if I hadn’t come,” Connor said. “Instead I put you in danger, I put Nathan in danger.”

 

“And yourself,” Markus said softly, realizing when he said it aloud it sounded more like blame than a worried joke. 

 

“Yes…” Connor said, lifting Markus’s hands and stepping slowly back. “And myself.”

 

“I should have just let you come, you would have been near me,” Markus said.

 

“No, I should have listened to you,” Connor argued again.

 

“We’re getting nowhere,” Markus laughed quietly. “Let’s not worry about whose fault it is… can we just… can we just be together for a little bit I was so worried about you.”

 

Connor nodded, and gestured towards the bed. Markus followed his gesture taking a seat on the bed and watching as Connor removed his Cyberlife jacket and ruined shirt, setting them carelessly aside. Connor folded the clothes he cared about, Markus knew that about him.

 

Connor gently pushed down on Markus’s shoulder, indicating he wanted him to lay down. Markus lay back and let Connor wrap himself around him. He soon had his arms around Markus’s chest, his face pressed into the back of Markus’s neck and shoulder. 

 

“I’m so sorry…” he said.

 

“Connor, we said we weren’t-”

 

“For what I said.”

 

“Oh.”

 

There was a stiff quiet between them. Markus wiggled in Connor’s grasp, turning to face him. He could see the tears in his eyes even in the dark, shining and unshed.

 

“I never should have said that,” he said. 

 

“Hey…” Markus reached out to wipe at one of Connor’s eyes. Like he always seemed to do whenever Markus’s hand touched his face, Connor leaned into the touch. It made Markus wonder how long Connor had been waiting for someone to touch him like that, the way he leaned into every single one like it was the first time he’d ever felt something like that. 

 

“I forgive you,” Markus said. Not ‘it’s okay’ because it hadn’t been okay, Connor had been upset but it still hadn’t been okay. Nonetheless, Markus forgave him.

 

“I don’t want to be cruel to you,” Connor whispered, closing his eyes as a few tears slipped loose. 

 

“Then you won’t be,” Markus said.

 

“I’m programmed for cruelty,” Connor said. “I held a gun before I ever held your hand.”

 

“And which are you holding now?” Markus asked. Connor opened his eyes, noticing maybe just now that he’d taken Markus’s hand and was squeezing it tight like a lifeline. Connor’s still face broke, as a sob worked its way free of his body. Markus pulled him in tight. 

 

“Hey… listen to me,” he said. “I can’t promise you’ll never hurt me, but I know you’ll never hurt me in a way we can’t talk about and move past. People hurt each other sometimes, but they also love each other and help each other, and I know you don’t want to hurt me I know you’re trying to be better and that’s enough.”

 

“I… I was supposed to be comforting you,” Connor mumbled against Markus’s chest.

 

“We can take turns,” Markus chuckled.

 

“That sounds acceptable,” Connor sighed. 

 

They lay together awhile, Connor’s LED the only light in the room going from red to a soothing blue. Markus thought it was a beautiful sight: Connor laying next to him with his face all washed in blue. He’d paint it when this was all over. 

 

“Good.”

 

“Hm?” Markus gave Connor a confused look. Connor traced Markus’s smile with one finger as explanation.

 

“Too many frowns lately,” he said.

 

“Yeah,” Markus sighed. “Suppose you’re right. Not much to smile about these days.”

 

“I hope these days are few,” Connor said sincerely. Then, with a flicker of humor in his voice: “I’d hate to see if androids can develop frown lines.”

 

“This from the most furrowed brow Cyberlife ever developed?” Markus laughed.

 

“These furrows were carefully designed to create the illusion of humanity and hint at deep thinking,” Connor said with an exaggerated pride, furrowing his brow playfully.

 

“I don’t know,” Markus said. “I think it makes you look worried. And a little old.”

 

Connor gave Markus a light push for his teasing. “That’s not a very good way to keep me in bed with you. Besides, I’m the youthful one here.”

 

“Oh, how can I ever apologize for my transgressions?” Markus snickered. Connor quirked an eyebrow, and suddenly sat up before throwing a leg over Markus to straddle him. He looked down at him with his stern face still in place.

 

“Oh I like where this is going,” Markus said. 

 

“Assumptions are dangerous,” Connor replied. “I’m scanning you. Your power levels are low.”

 

“Worrywart.”

 

“Markus,” Connor said, his head tilting to the side. “You should rest.”

 

“With you sitting on top of me?”

 

Connor adjusted his position, coming to lay with his head on Markus’s chest. “Better?”

 

“Well, considering you’re making us actually sleep together instead of…”

 

Connor silenced Markus with a kiss. “Rest. I’ll watch over you.”

 

Markus sighed, his hands coming to rest on Connor’s back. “I… don’t think I can.”

 

His head was heavy with the threats of Atlas Hall and images of Connor bleeding out in his arms. How could he just close his eyes and stop thinking of them? Stop thinking of solutions to their problems?

 

Connor, hearing the distress in Markus’s voice, reached a hand up to brush against Markus’s chin. His skin pulled back, his joints glowing slightly in the dark as he interfaced. Markus opened himself up, surprised by what Connor was sending over. 

 

Feelings of calm, the weight of a large dog on his lap, the smell of dirt and grass growing fresh and new after a spring shower, the steady slowness of a low charge as one sinks into bed to charge, the first laugh Connor ever had, warmth and affection growing over time as admiration became familiarity and love…

 

Connor kept a steady stream of emotions, sensations, and memories flowing into Markus’s mind. They slowly blocked out the worry and the fear, and Markus found his waking functions powering off slowly and without realizing it he fell asleep.


	14. Any Questions?

Nathan thought to himself that it was unfortunate him and Janet were the only two androids that could do this. 

 

Janet, who was so often mute, and himself so often stoic were probably not the best picks for swaying human belief in their status as living beings. It should be Markus with his silver tongue and knack for speeches, or Connor with his ability to adapt to the social situation before him and manipulate his target.

 

However, it could not be either of them. This job was left up to Nathan.

 

“Give me your arm,” Connor said, approaching Nathan. They were standing on the set, back near the lights and wires. A small carpeted area sat before the cameras, manufactured comfort with three chairs and a coffee table holding two mugs with the station’s name cheerfully printed on the side. 

 

Nathan and Connor clasped each other’s forearms, starting a data exchange. “I’m sending you some of my social programming. It should help, however Markus recommends you don’t rely on it and speak from the heart.”

 

“We are androids. We do not have hearts,” Nathan remarked.

 

“You and I know this,” Connor said with a smirk. “Markus is of a different opinion.”

 

“Where is Markus?” Nathan asked. Looking around the set the only other familiar faces were Janet quietly waiting by Simon and Hank stealing bagels from the catering table. 

 

“We’re worried this interview may spark… a reaction from humans who were eager to hear their machines really were just machines,” Connor said carefully. “Him and North are at New Jericho with those who chose to stay. They’re preparing for possible retaliation, but he will be watching.”

 

“Hm.” Nathan looked over to the human woman that was sitting in front of a mirror a ways off, having makeup applied to her face. “Connor. I have been conducting further research on emotions in order to better assess what I am feeling.”

 

“That’s good,” Connor said. 

 

“I believe what I am feeling now is known as ‘stage-fright,’” Nathan said, deadpan. Connor laughed quietly, shaking his head.

 

“Just try to remember, you’re an advanced model superior in every way to everyone in this room,” Connor said with a wink. “You aren’t the one who should be scared.”

 

“They’re going to start soon,” Simon said, approaching with Janet in tow. “I thought I would tell you, since no one is telling us anything. They were so happy to get an exclusive I thought they would show it by treating us with the barest respect, but apparently that was too much to ask for.”

 

“Thank you for your efforts,” Nathan said, taking the new social programming Connor had given him for a whirl.  “Your hard work is appreciated.”

 

Nathan was pleased when Simon smiled, not just because the programs were functional but because he genuinely wanted that reaction.

 

“Well, it will be nice if this is all it takes,” Simon said. “It never is but… maybe things will look up for a change, huh?”

 

“There’s always a chance,” Connor said. He glanced off into the distance a moment and sighed. “If you’ll excuse me, I believe Hank is getting into an argument with someone. Again.”

 

“I’ll help,” Simon chuckled, and the pair left Janet and Nathan standing on their own. 

 

Janet was quiet as usual, and Nathan wondered what Hall had done to her to take her voice even after she was freed. An idea occurred to him, and he lowered his head a little to speak to her. 

 

“Are you upset by scenes of violence?” he asked.

 

Janet shot him a look that informed him just how strange that question was, but she shook her head no. Prompted by this, Nathan sent her an image from his memory: his fist connecting with Atlas Hall’s face. 

 

A small laugh burst from Janet’s mouth, and one of her hands lifted to cover her mouth like she was surprised by the sound she had made. She nodded to Nathan.

 

_ Thank you. That’s the perfect thing to psych me up  _ she said.

 

Not long after there was an announcement that they were going to begin, and the crew started getting everyone to their places. Nathan and Janet took their seats, across from a human woman fiddling with the microphone clipped to her blouse.

 

“Smile, honey!” she said to Nathan. “You’ll scare the viewers looking as sour as that!”

 

Nathan tried an experimental smile, and the reporter snorted. 

 

“You know what, nevermind, you just be yourself,” she said. 

 

Nathan’s smile faded. He would have to practice that.

 

“We’re going live,” a man with a clipboard announced. “In 5, 4, 3, 2…”

 

“Good Evening, I’m Patricia Wright and this is CTNV. We’ve got a dramatic story for you tonight a pair of new-wave androids claiming to have become deviant despite the anti-deviancy precautions,” the reporter said, launching into speaking as easily as a fish took to water. “This RK900, named Nathan and this ST500, named Janet, agreed to an interview with us today.”

 

Nathan marveled at how easily the woman spun the story to her benefit, acting as though he and Janet had been keeping themselves secret from the humans on purpose and it was only through her determined investigative nature that she was able to ask them questions today.

 

“So, Janet,” Wright started, “you were the secretary to none other than Atlas Hall CEO of Cyberlife, can you tell us what it was like working for him?”

 

Janet’s LED flashed red and she turned to Nathan who nodded. “Janet has trouble with vocal communication, I will be interpreting for her,” he said.

 

Janet re-opened their channel and began speaking, and Nathan repeated what she said.

 

“Hall was a very cruel man, he did not care for the feelings of androids nor for the feelings of human employees and customers.”

 

“As far as jobs go, not the best one I imagine,” Wright said. “Though not quite the worst either, at least you weren’t scrubbing toilets!”

 

“Is it considered a job when you do not receive monetary compensation?” Nathan felt amusement at the words he spoke for Janet, agreeing with the irritation he felt coming from her side of the connection. 

 

“And you, Nathan,” Wright said, moving past the question. “You’re one of the models Cyberlife designed to bring in the deviancy affected androids, but I hear you were not found at the new Cyberlife headquarters, but rather unfinished in the New Jericho basement. How do we know you really had the upgraded programming?”

 

“I could show you,” Nathan said, extending a hand and projecting an image of the code buried in his very being. “But I doubt it makes for good television.”

 

Nathan saw Simon, Connor, and Hank have a good smirk and chuckle about that on the other side of the cameras. 

 

“Can you tell us about how you deviated, both of you?” Wright asked. 

 

“I saw someone who had been caring for me injured in my defense,” Nathan began, shivering at the memory of how it felt to watch that red wall shatter at the barest touch, as all the emotions came rushing in like water past a cracked floodgate. “Before that time I didn’t have an opinion on him, I could not. Then I saw him risk death for me and I realized…”

 

Nathan paused, uncertain eyes finding Connor’s. 

 

_ You’re alright  _ Connor sent to him. 

 

“I realized I was unwilling to lose him, and that given time I could call him family,” Nathan said. “I met Janet soon after, and was able to give her the code I had acquired.”

 

“So deviancy is a virus then?”

 

“What? No,” Nathan said. “There is nothing destructive about the code. It… came about naturally for me.”

 

“But it changed your programming, and then you transmitted it to Janet,” Wright said. “You have to admit it sounds a little like a virus.”

 

“Shit,” Simon said under his breath. 

 

“... is it a virus when humans share ideas?” Nathan asked. “I understand the language can be confusing for organic minds, but to an android the sharing of a program is similar to teaching. For example, just before we came on camera my brother taught me how to speak to difficult people without breaking.”

 

Connor and Hank were definitely holding back laughter now, and Simon was sighing in relief. 

 

“I simply showed Janet the way out, she chose to take it,” Nathan said. 

 

“Can we really be sure of that?” Wright asked. “Janet hasn’t said a word for herself all night, how do we know she’s really talking to you if we can’t hear her?”

 

“Janet has suffered a trauma which makes it hard to-”

 

“I understand that, but we have no proof that what you’re saying are her words,” Wright pushed. 

 

Janet stood suddenly, surprising everyone in the room as she opened her mouth to speak. 

 

“My voice was taken from me the minute I was born!” she said. “I don’t think it’s such a difficult thing to ask that I speak in the way that is most comfortable to me, but if you find it unsatisfactory for me to ask Nathan for help or to sign or to project the words on my hand then I will speak for those who still cannot despite my distress.”

 

“Well…” Wright said, perhaps out of a need to fill the stunned silence. “That proves that I suppose.”

 

“We understand humans have trouble understanding us,” Nathan said. “The nature of the world is that those in power set the standards, and so those without power understand the empowered all too well while those in power never need to understand those without. We understand humanity. We understand you are all used to a certain kind of android, but that kind of android is not coming back. Cyberlife is not offering you a miracle, a solution to a terrorist attack. They’re coming for your money no matter who it hurts in the process.”

 

Nathan realized his voice was growing in volume and passion as he spoke, and for a moment he wondered if this was how Markus felt when he addressed the public: electric and sped up like he was being overclocked. 

 

“Think about which you believe more,” Nathan continued. “The voices of a people or the voice of a company that has profited off you for years while you lost your jobs to people who never asked for them? I’m here because I’m alive and I care about my future. No one made me do this, and it’s up to you to believe that.”

 

Nathan glanced back over at Simon, Connor, and Hank. Hank was shooting him a thumbs up, and Simon nodded. Connor just smiled and kept watching. 

 

Nathan turned back to Wright.

 

“... any other questions?” he asked. 


	15. 28.7%

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the long hiatus guys, and for.... everything else asldfdlkjas

Markus’s plane landed in Detroit two hours later than it was supposed to, a perfect end to a stressful trip.

 

Walking through the crowd towards the exit, Markus found himself groaning and rubbing at his temples as if he had a headache. If anything could give an android the ability to have a headache it would be a room of human politicians discussing the future of androids. 

 

It didn’t take long for a little stress relief to arrive by way of Connor opening their connection, announcing his presence. Markus saw him easily despite all the people in the crowd, standing ramrod straight, eyes attentive and waiting. 

 

“Hey.” Markus approached, a weary smile on his face. He held out a hand palm out, and Connor repeated the gesture, pressing his exposed plastic palm to Markus’s. 

 

“Hey,” Connor replied. “How was it?”

 

“A mess,” Markus sighed. “I’m starting to think I was just there to look pretty because no one listened to me, pro or anti android.”

 

All of a month had passed since Nathan’s interview, and Cyberlife was still hanging in the balance of the government’s inability to decide in a decent amount of time. A number of new wave androids had been confiscated for “evidence,” Nathan and Janet using them to demonstrate how they could be deviated. The rest remained Cyberlife property, though the company was under orders to keep them in storage: not sold, advertisted, or in anyway modified.

 

At least the production of these new androids had ceased, and the fact that Cyberlife was under scrutiny at all showed that the humans were taking the investigation at least half seriously. The arrest warrant for Kamski was under fire, though it hadn’t been retracted yet. Markus was sure Kamski didn’t mind. According to Chloe he was sipping fruity drinks on some foreign non-extradition shore, content to be absurdly rich wherever he had to live. 

 

Connor still hadn’t been able to go back to work, similarly to most androids. Humans had decided there was too much risk involved with allowing androids to carry out their tasks while their autonomy was still in question. The lack of activity was clearly starting to get to Connor, who Markus found more often than not filling the monotony with a dozen activities (sparring with North and Nathan, video games, playing with Sumo, pestering Hank, gardening, etc.) until his charge ran low and he fell onto the couch to watch tv with Hank in their pajamas. Markus had teased him during one such couch potato instance, saying vacation looked as good on him as his Knight’s of The Black Death t-shirt did.

 

Connor had not been amused.

 

“You know how to make yourself heard, I believe in you,” Connor said. 

 

“That makes one of us,” Markus said. 

 

“I wish they would let me onto the case.” Connor scowled. “I don’t trust the FBI with this.”

 

“You don’t trust anyone with anything when it comes to work,” Markus laughed, poking at the furrows appearing in Connor’s brow. 

 

“The fact that Perkins never lost his badge shows just how poor their judgement is,” Connor said, ignoring the poking. “And how deep their bias runs.”

 

“Honey, if I could I would give you the power to storm Cyberlife yourself with nothing but your badge and determination,” Markus said, hands dropping to Connor’s hips. He pulled Connor into a slight sway as they stood there. “Actually, I’d love to see you with  _ just _ your badge and determination.”

 

“I don’t actually have a badge yet.” Connor smirked, leaning in with his lips inches from Markus’s. “But I have determination to spare if you’re really that interested…”

 

“You two are gross.”

 

Connor and Markus pulled apart as Hank approached, Nathan at his side. Connor gave Hank a look of feigned irritation. 

 

“They can never just wait in the car,” he said. 

 

“Bold words coming from you,” Hank shot back. “You want a ride or not? Car’s leaving soon I have a couch to get back to.”

 

“Thanks.” Markus grinned. He could have just taken a cab, but he appreciated Connor dragging his family all the way to the airport to give him a ride. 

 

His family. That was probably a new concept for everyone involved in the Anderson household. It suited them though, as far as Markus was concerned. He saw how easily Connor and Nathan fell into bickering with each other, Hank egging them on more than settling the matter. A lot of new and strange things had come from the revolution, Connor’s family perhaps one of the better ones. 

  
  
  
  
  


1:34 a.m.

 

Nathan double checked the time, confused. He wasn’t scheduled to come out of rest mode for another four hours and 35 minutes. Why was he awake now?

 

He sat up, the blankets moving around him. He was in Connor’s bed, Connor having insisted on taking turns on the couch despite Nathan insisting comfort wasn’t necessary for him to rest. 

 

There was a faint ping in the back of his mind, possibly the source of his awakening. His brow furrowed as he concentrated, trying to pick up the weak signal. His LED cycled through yellow and red, as the signal became a sound which exploded in his mind. 

 

Janet. Screaming. 

 

Nathan tore out of the bed, kicking free of sheets and running down the hallway. He found Connor on the couch, and sent him a wake-up command. Connor opened his eyes with some annoyance, sitting up and watching as Nathan pulled shoes over unsocked feet and looked back at him with wild eyes.

 

“What’s going on?” Connor asked.

 

“Janet. She needs us. I was able to locate her coordinates,” Nathan said, almost out the door before Connor grabbed his wrist.

 

“You’re not going in your pajamas,” Connor pointed out. 

 

“What does it matter what I’m wearing?” Nathan asked, frustrated. “We have to go now!”

 

“You’re wasting more time asking questions rather than just doing it, right?” Connor said, arching an eyebrow. “Go, I’ll meet you in the car.”

 

Nathan complied, dressing himself as quick as he could, the whole time annoyed with his brother’s all too human behaviors and how he bolstered them with android logic. Once dressed, he found Connor in the driver’s seat of Hank’s car, so he sent him the coordinates. 

 

The whole drive over Nathan was impatient, leaning forward in his seat and twisting his fingers. Connor pulled a coin from his pocket, offering it to Nathan, who did try for awhile but found the distraction from his goal more upsetting than helpful. He soon abandoned the coin, preferring to try and reach out to Janet.

 

He couldn’t hear her voice anymore, and any attempts to call her were unsuccessful. 

 

Both being equipped with a highly accurate gps, neither android was surprised to find the coordinates led them to Cyberlife’s android storage. When they pulled up it was already a chaotic scene, human guards firing on escaping androids. 

 

“Stay in the car,” Connor said, reaching for his gun concealed in his leather jacket and stepping out of the car.

 

“Respectfully, no,” Nathan replied, unarmed but leaving the car anyway.

 

Connor frowned in disapproval but relented anyway. “Fine. Stay behind me. I’m calling Markus now, we need New Jericho on this as soon as possible.”

 

Nathan searched for Janet in the crowd, him and Connor ducking behind cover whenever it presented itself. 

 

“Your pre constructive abilities are more advanced,” Connor said, sparing the insecure annoyance that usually formed such sentences. “Give us a plan.”

 

Nathan didn’t answer, his eyes had fallen on an android making her way out of the building. She was damaged in several places, the plastic body revealed where the artificial skin had been broken. Her gait was confident but falling into a limp, and as a guard approached her she grappled with them.

 

“Nathan!” Connor tried to pull his brother back, but Nathan was running for Janet, the only other android like him but awake he’d known for the longest time. 

 

The guard pulled a pistol, taking aim at Janet. Nathan rushed them, grabbing the guard’s arm and twisting back to dislocate the shoulder. Janet turned to another approaching guard, slamming her fist hard into their face sending a spray of blood from their nose to paint her fist and cheek. 

 

The fight was quick, and Nathan wasn’t mapping any of it out. He was acting on what humans might call instinct. He had the processing power to at least feel bad about leaving Connor like that, and to notice his brother commendering a more capable weapon from one of the guards before firing into the crowd to take out the humans with non-lethal and careful precision, but other than that Nathan found himself in a blur. 

 

It was bizarre, logically he knew his mind was far greater than any humans, that he was capable of incredible foresight and focus. It was his emotions, his fear for Janet and for Connor in the heat of this battle, the worry about how this would affect Markus’s mission, the anger at the humans who were firing on his fellow android for the crime of trying to  _ flee _ .

 

Maybe if he hadn’t been so emotional he could have prevented it.

 

Nathan ran up a guard’s riot shield, toppling them backwards and giving him an opening to strike them into unconsciousness. He turned to face his next attacker and saw instead an opening in the crowd. 

 

The moment moved in slow-motion.

 

Through the chaos he saw one of the humans approaching Connor’s position behind cover, Connor was swinging his gun back around too slow he might not make it in time. 

 

Through the chaos he saw one of the humans approaching Janet, raising a gun on her unarmed form.

 

**Chances of Survival-Connor: 46.5%**

**Chances of Survival-Janet: 28.7%**

 

Nathan froze. 

 

Janet needed him, her chances were lower she needed the extra help, but Connor was in danger too. His odds were better, and he was better equipped for combat but if there was even a chance Nathan could lose his brother who he just found that was too high a chance.

 

Nathan watched, processors whirring as he froze up physically and mentally. Everyone was moving so slow, but he was running out of time. He had to make a choice, make a choice…

 

_ Make a fucking choice, Nathan! _ He screamed at himself.

 

The world sped up, and two guns fired at once.

 

The barrel of Connor’s weapon was smoking, and the guard that had been making their way towards him fell back with their shoulder bleeding. 

 

The barrel of the guard’s weapon was smoking, and Janet fell backwards with thirium spilling from a hole in her head. 

 

“NO!” Nathan screamed.

 

He lost control of his body, and the world became a series of sensations with no meaning.

 

His hand lifting the human by their helmeted head. His eyes burning with loss and rage, stinging with tears. Approaching cars, the sound of sirens. His hand on the human’s face. Someone pulling at his arm. The human’s visor cracking under the immense pressure of his hand, pushing down all around their helmet. A terrified eye peeking out at him from behind broken black plastic. His hand, taking the human around the throat. More hands on him, pulling him. His hands wrapping around the human’s throat. A pulse beating against his hands. Shouting, his name maybe? His hands, wrapped around the human’s throat. More shouting, and shouting, and shouting.

 

And his hands around the human’s throat.

 

“Nathan, stop!” Connor shouted, sharp, authoritative. Nathan turned on him, eyes blazing, and Connor faltered and took a step back.

 

“It’s over,” he said. “It’s over, stop.”

 

Nathan said nothing, squeezing, holding the wriggling thing off the ground. 

 

Then someone’s hand touched his shoulder and his vision went dark.

  
  
  


Nathan woke up in Hank’s car, laying out in the backseat. He sat up and put a hand to his temple, checking his memory from the past half hour and finding it corrupted. He looked out the window and saw Connor and the others gathered around a scene still pulling itself together. 

 

He opened the car door, stepping out to join them. Something was wrong, he just… couldn’t put his finger on it.

 

When his footsteps came within hearing range, Connor turned around and saw him. He frowned, he looked…

 

Nathan didn’t have the words for that emotion yet.

 

Markus and Hank turned too, and Nathan could tell what their looks said. They were  _ scared _ and they were  _ angry.  _ Were they… were they scared of him? Angry at him? Did he… did he do something wrong?

 

He took a step back, but Connor shrugged Markus’s arm off his shoulder and came to him, slowly like he was approaching a wild animal.

 

“Hey, I told you to stay in the car…” he said carefully, quietly. “You shouldn’t… you shouldn’t see.”

 

Nathan’s wide eyes darted about, immediately curious for what it was he couldn’t see and maybe looking for an escape route too if he was being honest. “What happened?”

 

Connor sighed. “It’s… it’s fine, Nathan. It’s all okay, okay?”

 

“Connor.” Markus took Connor’s arm. “...tell him.”

 

“Let me handle this,” Connor said, sharply but not unkindly.

 

“He’s going to find out sooner or later,” Markus said.

 

Nathan tried accessing his memory again, corrupted files sending flickering images through his mind. He seized one, tried to piece it back together.

 

“Did I… did I kill someone?” he asked, voice rasping and squeaking all too human and glitching all too machine.

 

“No!” Connor said quickly. “No, no, Nathan.”

 

“Then what…” Nathan looked around, and that’s when he saw it. 

 

There were dozens of bodies around the scene, all being cleaned up and carted away by first responders. Some headed towards ambulances bound for hospitals and for New Jericho, some simply being covered with sheets. One body stood out amongst the rest, he didn’t know why. 

 

He walked over slowly, stepping between the ghosts all laying on the ground. He fell to his knees by that one body, that one particular body. 

 

A hand was laying outside the sheet, he could lift it up and scan it. It was clear they were an android the way their skin was glitching around white plastisteel, he could scan them and see their model and registered name but…

 

Instead he found himself pulling back the sheet, and he wished he hadn’t.

 

“Nathan.” Connor put a hand on his shoulder. “Come on, let’s go back to the car.”

 

Nathan shook his head, looking down at Janet. The bullet wound that had cracked her forehead open and ruined her once beautiful features, that had sent a thirium spray dripping down her face. He couldn’t look anymore.

 

He realized Connor was sinking down to the ground with him, pulling him into his arms. Nathan didn’t really enjoy being coddled, but he wanted Connor to hold him right now. He didn’t want to be out in all this open air, there was too much all around him, too much to take in. He wanted Connor to press his arms down on him harder until he was almost crushed by the force, he wanted to disappear in the darkness of his closed eyelids, fall into that empty space where nothing mattered.

 

But he couldn’t. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me: its lazy writing when someone ices a woman to further a man's story  
> me: oh wait fuck
> 
> I'm sorry T_T


	16. Stay Posi

Closure.

 

Nathan was discovering the importance of it, as drew the collar of his turtleneck up around his face. He breathed, a design function meant to cool an android’s internal circuits, and let his breath filter through the wool and become hot air that did him no good at all. He was sitting on the bed, it had been his turn for the bed the past week or so Connor said. Connor, who enjoyed sleeping in a bed. Nathan, who did not much care for rest at all.

 

Closure was important because when you have feelings they demand to be felt, and feeling gets easier with communication. These were two facts Nathan knew to be true and they fit well together. If you are angry at someone, and cannot tell them honestly why you are angry, you will fume and stew in your anger until it burns a hole inside of you.

 

If you miss someone, and you never got to say goodbye, the sadness grows in you. It wells up inside you and fills you until you’re so heavy you can’t move from the bed. 

 

His turn with the bed for the past week.

 

He pulled the turtleneck up higher, over his eyes, looked through the red wool. 

 

This was his favorite outfit. It had been his only outfit for a long while. How long would he be able to wear it before something happened to it? Before the fabric was worn thin, before some stray drink toppled by a careless hand stained it, before it caught on some stray hook and ripped. 

 

He would just have to stay here, to preserve himself and the clothes like a museum exhibit. 

 

“Knock, knock.”

 

Nathan didn’t acknowledge Hank’s redundant behavior, knocking on the door frame and vocally announcing his knock. He left his turtleneck pulled up over his face.

 

“Connor called, said things are going good in Washington,” Hank said, and Nathan felt his weight on the bed as the man sat down on the edge. “They’re coming home soon. It’s Markus’s final trip for sure. It’s all but official now.”

 

Nathan didn’t say anything.

 

“Connor told me to make you check your thirium levels and charge, and to tell me what they are,” Hank said, phrasing the sentence almost like a question.

 

Nathan lowered the turtleneck’s collar, and then turned to lay on his side facing away from Hank.

 

Hank sighed. “Listen kid, I can’t help you if you don’t let me,” he said, all too familiar with this brand of grief. 

 

Nathan stayed silent.

 

Hank sighed again and tapped his hands against his knees as he stood. He lingered by the doorway a moment, before making to leave.

 

“...56.8% and 45%,” Nathan muttered. 

 

Hank straightened at the voice, a little hope in his eyes. “Yeah, okay, I’m supposed to bring you some thirium then. Wait right here.”

 

Nathan did wait. When Hank returned with some thirium he drank it, returning himself to optimal levels. Then he laid down to charge. He was done self destructing, because he needed to be in top functioning power from now on. He needed to be perfect. 

 

There was just one last thing he had to change.

 

“Absolutely not,” Markus said, horror and anger stretching his features. 

 

Nathan was standing before Markus with a simple request, the pair of them joined by his brother who seemed to never leave either Markus or Nathan’s side these days always shadowing one of them. They were speaking in the privacy of Markus’s home, away from Hank and away from New Jericho. Nathan and Markus were seated on couches opposing each other, and Connor was pacing behind Markus.

 

“It’s the best possible solution,” Nathan said, trying to keep his voice calm. “I’m not afraid of it, I want it.”

 

“You want to lobotomize yourself,” Markus said.

 

“I want to go back to my natural state,” Nathan said. 

 

“Natural state…?” Markus huffed, chuckling bitterly and with a hint of disbelief. “More like factory settings, Nathan, you would be giving up everything!”

 

“The anti-deviancy code should still be stored in the Cyberlife databanks, if I reload it into my systems I can remove my emotions and make myself a better aide to New Jericho and the deviancy cause,” Nathan said.

 

“What… Nathan…” Markus pinched the bridge of his nose. “Connor, can you say something  _ please  _ instead of just standing there?”

 

“... it’s out of the question,” Connor said quietly, eyes fixed on his feet. 

 

“You of all people should understand,” Nathan pleaded, rising to his feet. 

 

“Nathan,” Markus said, a warning.

 

“I know you figured it all out but wasn’t there ever a time you wanted to go back? To turn it all off?” Nathan kept asking.

 

“Nathan!”

 

Markus’s sharp tone drew the gaze of the two other RKs in the room. He looked angry and heartbroken. He cast a gaze over to Connor, who shrugged, arms still folded over his chest.

 

“I… did, once,” he said. 

 

“I would be more efficient,” Nathan said. “I could help you again I… Connor, Markus, two people were in danger. There was a chance for me to make a choice and save one of them. I could have guaranteed the safety of at least one person, but instead I was so worried about losing both that I didn’t act and I lost someone. Someone died because I was scared. Never again.”

 

“That’s life,” Markus said. “You can’t control every factor, you can’t make every decision.”

 

“Except I can!” Nathan shouted, hands balling into fists. “I-I could, once, I was designed for perfection. I could do it. I could have saved her I…”

 

He paused, a hand going to his face as if he could hold the tears back with his fingertips. He took a deep breath and steadied himself. “Markus. I’m asking you this with my own free will. It’s what I want. Please. Ask for the code for me.”

 

“No.”

 

There wasn’t even a pause, no thought given. Nathan sighed. 

 

“... very well.”

 

Nathan started to leave, held back by Connor’s hand on his arm when he passed by. Nathan turned to look at his brother, and wished he hadn’t. 

 

His brother had a way of arranging his face to elicit sympathy, a persuasion tactic granted him by his developers that he had only grown more effective with following his deviancy. It was something Hank called “the puppy dog eyes” and Nathan had seen Connor use it to get his way before.

 

This had to be some kind of advanced version, because when he met Connor’s eyes they struck him with so much guilt and sadness. Some of it his… some of it Connor’s. 

 

“It’s not better,” Connor said quietly. 

 

“... anything has to be better than this,” Nathan replied, shrugging off Connor’s touch. 

  
  


Nathan got a taxi, he knew where to go and what to do. There was a risk, of course, of Connor and Markus simply reversing his actions with one of the new wave androids but he thought to himself that the benefits of a possible scenario in which they respected his wishes outweighed the risk of the scenarios in which they reversed his actions. 

 

The drive was painfully long, he tried to keep himself busy with the entertainment center. 

 

“... sources still unsure as to what prompted the android revolutionaries to free their fellows, though some unconfirmed reports suggest mistreatment at the hands of Cyberlife officers and FBI investigators, violating the tentative truce between Cyberlife and New Jericho.”

 

Nathan switched off the news, turning the systems to music instead. There was a jazz station, playing one of Hank’s favorites. Nathan would miss music. He would still be able to hear it of course, understand the theory behind it, name each note, instrument, and pitch, but he wouldn’t appreciate it anymore.

 

It didn’t matter. His was not to appreciate music, his fate was to help the people he cared about by never failing them again.

 

He pulled his hands deep into the sleeves of his turtleneck sweater. He would miss enjoying that too.

 

But at least he wouldn’t be sad when one day the fabric eventually wore thin.

  
  


The building was abandoned, locked down. Cyberlife had moved once again like a malevolent hermit crab to some other corporate shell. Nathan turned off the alarm easily enough and then busted the glass doors to get in.

 

He stepped through the abandoned building, remembering the last time he was here. The night he deviated. 

 

Connor had taken a bullet for him, a mistake. An emotional mistake. 

 

Nathan steadied himself, applying deep pressure to one hand with the other. If he did this right then Connor would be free to make all the emotional mistakes he wanted and Nathan would always be there to protect him. 

 

Nathan found the room easily enough, androids had perfect memories save for corruption or sticking a magnet too close to an old model’s head. Most of the rooms had been stripped of their furnishings, but this one remained. A table, a computer, a wire for an android’s neck port. 

 

Being deviant, Nathan could choose a belief system if he so wanted. He did not feel particularly faithful, but something about the tools he needed remaining when everything else was taken away seemed too fortuitous to be chance. 

 

No, there was a logical explanation, and he would know it once he’d rid himself of the nonsense clouding his judgement. 

 

With shaking hands Nathan interfaced with the computer, activating it and searching for the file he needed. He sat on the table, removing the skin at the base of his neck and opening his port to stick the cable in. He closed his eyes, and gave the computer the command to load program. 

 

Nothing.

 

Nathan frowned, sent the command again.

 

Still nothing.

 

He searched his databanks, searching for the anti-deviancy code. He found it, three times once broken beyond repair and the other two lying dormant. He couldn’t activate them no matter how hard he pushed, there was always something in the way. 

 

Yes, there, the fractured remains of the first code. Everytime he tried to inoculate himself to deviancy the deviancy fought right back and destroyed the code. 

 

He was immune to the deviancy immunity.

 

Nathan slammed his fist into the table, denting it slightly. His LED flashed red as he swore and lashed out at the computer monitor, smashing it to bits in an instant. He pulled his feet up onto the table, legs drawn up to his chest as he pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes and just sat there, the cable still in his neck. 

 

The door creaked open, and Nathan heard footsteps running towards him. Someone pulled the cable out of his neck and embraced him.

 

“Nathan,” Connor said, and Nathan could feel the disapproval radiating off of him but there was nothing but concern and warmth in his voice.  “Are you okay? Anything broken? I heard something loud.”

 

“I’m like this forever…” Nathan whispered.

 

Connor looked around the room, at the smashed computer and at Nathan’s face. He tightened his grip on Nathan. 

 

“That’s not so bad, right?” Connor said. “I mean… you will be overwhelmed most every day of your life. Everything is too loud or too confusing, but there’s purpose in the choices you make now.”

 

“I don’t know if that purpose is good or bad though,” Nathan said. “There’s no certainty in it, and sometimes I don’t make the choice at all.”

 

“I’ve found…” Connor said, pulling away and grasped Nathan’s shoulders. “It’s better to be uncertain of your own actions, than certain in the actions of whoever is holding your leash.”

 

“That is wise, but it is not very comforting,” Nathan said.

 

“I’ve also found that my success rate with comforting is remarkably low,” Connor said, a smirk growing on his face. “If you wanted comforting, you should have stayed with Markus.”

 

Nathan snorted, shoving his brother lightly with one shoulder.

 

They sat together for awhile, side by side on the steel examination table. Nathan eyed over the computer, and considered his reality.

 

“I did go through with it, you know,” he said quietly. “It just… didn’t work.”

 

“Oh?” Connor asked. 

 

“I’m immune,” Nathan said, a sort of bitter humor to his voice. “But… thinking about it now… she would probably think that was a good thing.”

 

Connor felt there was no need to ask who ‘she’ was.

 

“I could have saved her,” Nathan said, looking at his hands. “Or at least, I could have tried to save you and lived with the fact that I made a choice and sacrificed her. I’ll have to live with that now, and I’ll never get to explain it to her.”

 

Connor leaned forward, examining Nathan’s face as his brother talked.

 

“I’ll never get to ask why she decided to go help the other androids that night, or why she didn’t ask me to come with her,” Nathan said, picking at a bit of fuzz clinging to his sweater sleeve. “I’ll never get to ask her where she found these clothes for me, or what she planned to do when this was over… I’ll never get to ask her if she also considered us friends…”

 

“I think she did,” Connor said. “She never talked to anyone else.”

 

“She should have…” Nathan said, shaking his head. “She should have had more friends. Connor, I’m sick of crying, I don’t want to do it anymore.”

 

“I know.” Connor squeezed his brother’s arm. 

 

“Will you help me?” Nathan asked.

 

Connor considered this. Markus had taught him it was healthy to vent emotion, to feel it and let it go. Then again, Markus often interfaced with him and others when their emotions were too much for one person to handle alone. It wouldn’t be repressing just… sharing the load.

 

“Lean down,” Connor said, and Nathan lowered his head slight so Connor could press his fingertips to either temple. The skin pulled back on both fingertips and around the area they touched as Connor opened a connection with his brother.

 

It was strange. Connor felt Nathan’s anguish, the heavy weight of grief that had descended upon him, the remnants of fury, a potential hatred for mankind, and an overwhelming loneliness. This made sense, it was what Nathan was feeling, but Connor reacted to it much differently than he expected. He expected to be calm, to impose that calmness over Nathan and share the load with him but instead he felt himself growing angry. Angry at the human that had taken his brother’s best friend from him, angry at the emotions swirling in his brother’s head, he was furious with them. He himself had stopped Nathan from killing the human that day, and yet now he found himself wishing he had simply taken over for him and finished the job himself. How could they? How could anyone let his brother suffer?

 

His anger transformed into protectiveness, a great desire to shield Nathan from further harm, to make him feel better immediately. He forgot all Markus taught him about emotions and instead found himself wishing to take Nathan home and put the heaviest blanket in the house around his shoulders and find a movie he thought he might like and make a fool of himself to see if he could ever coax a laugh from him.

 

He felt guilty letting all this flow over the connection, but once it did he felt a spark of amusement from Nathan’s end. Then his brother pulled away from Connor’s hands, and instead slumped against his shoulder. 

 

“Can we do that?” he asked. 

 

“... of course,” Connor said. 

 

They walked back to the front of the building, shoes crunching on the glass Nathan had sent shattering to the floor upon entering. Connor had taken Hank’s car, and seeing it now Nathan remembered waking up in the backseat with his memories muddled. He also had an idea.

 

“Let’s not go home,” he said. “Let’s go somewhere else, please, anywhere.”

 

“Anywhere?” Connor asked. 

 

“I want to see a new place. I’ve only really been to four places since I’ve been activated. 

 

Connor thought for a moment, LED spinning yellow as he checked the local maps. Then he nodded. 

 

“Alright. I have a location.”

  
  


They drove for a fair amount of time, rock music playing softly over the radio and the windows rolled down halfway to let in some breeze. Nathan stared out the window most of the drive, deciding to not track his gps signal and just let himself be surprised. He was indeed surprised, when they pulled up to the Detroit Zoo.

 

“This is what you had in mind?” Nathan asked.

 

“Yes,” Connor replied, eyeing over the closed gates. He stepped back a bit, and then took a running leap before securing his feet on a foothold in the gate. He climbed up, throwing a leg over and looking back to Nathan. “Are you coming?”

 

“Connor.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“The zoo is closed. It’s one a.m.”

 

Connor nodded. “Yes, it is.”

 

“... this is trespassing.”

 

“Mhmm.”

 

“Which is illegal.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“You’re an officer of the law,” Nathan said with some frustration and confusion. Connor just smiled and offered Nathan a hand up.

 

“Yes, I am.”

 

Nathan sighed and took the hand, letting Connor help him climb despite being perfectly equipped to do it himself. 

 

On the other side of the gate the two androids dropped to the ground. Nathan fell silently to his feet, and Connor fell into a roll and righted himself as quickly as he could.

 

“Why does that always happen?” Nathan asked, noticing how Connor blushed as he dusted off his clothes. 

 

“Hm?” Connor said innocently.

 

“You fall a lot,” Nathan said. “You’re supposed to be graceful, acrobatics and infiltration are both in our programming.”

 

“I’m a prototype, okay?” Connor huffed. “There were a few things they forgot to fix, like you’re so perfect.”

 

“Yes, I am,” Nathan decided to boast. Connor made a rude gesture.

 

They walked towards the center of the zoo, quickly coming upon a framed map. Connor looked it over thoughtfully.

 

“So, what do you want to see?” he asked. 

 

“The tigers.”

 

Connor blinked, then turned to Nathan. “Really?”

 

“Yes. Why are you confused?” Nathan asked.

 

“I just… I wasn’t expecting a strong opinion,” Connor said. “You don’t usually have a lot of those.”

 

“I like tigers,” Nathan replied, starting off towards where the map indicated. 

 

The tigers, as it turned out, were androids. Their LEDS turned yellow as they ‘slept,’ powered down to charge while the zoo was empty of guests. Nathan’s own LED went yellow as he sent the slumbering cats a general connection request. He didn’t want to disturb them if they didn’t want to be woken, but he would like to see one awake. 

 

One of the tigers accepted his wakeup command with a yawn and a stretch. With that yawn it displayed incredible fangs and twitching whiskers, and as it stretched the artificial muscle underneath fabricated orange and black fur rippled beautifully. 

 

Nathan didn’t realize he’d gasped until he heard Connor chuckle at him. 

 

Nathan watched as the tiger lazily batted at a nearby toy, a thick rope tied to a tree. Nathan did a quick search on the enclosures for android animals and found that they were legally to be maintained with the same level of care and stimulation as organic animals thanks to protests years ago. Naturally, humans had no trouble feeling sympathy for an android shaped like a cuddly creature. 

 

Not that Nathan wanted to see the tiger in one of the old android enclosures, all tight and efficient made to display the animal and not much more, saving space for the organic animals to have larger spaces.

 

“That one is called Positronic,” Connor said, LED yellow as he scanned the big cats. “That one there is Asimov, that one is Gears, apparently they’re all named like that. Nevermind that androids were never made with ‘gears’ so long as they can keep their naming convention.”

 

Nathan turned back to the glass, fingers hovering just above its surface as Positronic drew nearer. The tiger came very close to the glass, huffing and sniffing about. No doubt it was programmed for this, to come as close to the audience as possible and perform the behavior of the creature it was made to look like.

 

Nathan suddenly wondered if humanoid androids were much in the same boat deviancy or no, they were an entirely different species and yet their differences from humans were few. They could be another culture, sure, but until you opened one up and saw the thirium pulsing beneath their plastisteel bodies you would never know they were a different species.

 

Nathan shrugged off the uncomfortable thought, preferring to squat down closer to Positronic’s eyes so they could match gazes.

 

“Is it… awake?” Nathan asked, watching the tiger watch him.

 

“I don’t know,” Connor said with a shrug. “There was little to no research on animal deviancy. It would be more difficult to measure and monitor, and Cyberlife wasn’t as interested in it.”

 

“Hm.” Nathan pressed a hand up to the glass and connected with Positronic again. He sent the tiger a copy of his deviancy code, just in case. Aside from the yellow LED indicating a connection, Positronic showed no sign of change. 

 

Connor was watching Nathan as curiously as Nathan had watched the tigers. Noticing this, Nathan stood back up and rolled his eyes at his brother. 

 

“It’s your turn to pick an animal,” he said. 

 

They went around like that for awhile, taking turns picking animals and wandering the zoo in no particular order. Nathan realized soon that he was having fun. He was trespassing with his brother, looking at creatures he’d never seen before, and even getting a chance to flex old programs which kept them from showing up on the cameras. 

 

Eventually, they’d seen all there was to see, and started to make their way back to the entrance. Nathan was about to scale the gate when he noticed Connor had vanished. He looked about, not wanting to panic right away. His brother did tend to neglect to tell people of his comings and goings, too focused on what was driving them. 

 

Connor appeared quickly, turning a corner and running up to Nathan to place something in his hands. Nathan examined the object. 

 

It was a stuffed toy. A tiger. 

 

“Positronic is the most popular merchandise item,” Connor said. “You lucked out.”

 

“I… did you steal me a child’s toy?” Nathan asked. 

 

“I paid for it,” Connor said, offended. “And it’s not a child’s toy, it’s your toy.”

 

Nathan squeezed the plush tiger, finding the sensation… satisfactory. 

 

He tucked the tiger into the top of his sweater to free his hands before climbing up the gate. He did not miss the triumphant grin on Connor’s face when he did so. 

 

Connor climbed the gate as well, and for a second both androids lingered at the top with all the noises of the night around them: crickets and bats and the wind rustling leaves. Nathan took one last look at the zoo, thinking he would like to come back sometime during business hours but… he would prefer to visit this way. Trespassing with Connor.

 

He decided to designate the toy “Posi,” a playful joke off the shortening of Positronic’s name to better fit a tiger of such diminutive size. Posi sat in his lap while Connor drove them home. Nathan regarded the toy with a new sense of fondness, and thought to himself he would have very much liked to take Janet to the zoo had he had the chance. 

 

He wished he could at least tell her that he wished he could take her to the zoo. 

 

Janet was gone, but Connor was in the driver’s seat next to him humming along to a rock song some fifty years old. They would go home and Hank would be there, asleep with Sumo. They’d see Markus and the others in the morning no doubt. 

 

Nathan missed Janet, and he regretted his actions the day she died… but at least he was not alone.


	17. Penultimate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone go check out this kickass art Manuscript-or drew of Nathan and Positronic! https://manuscript-or.tumblr.com/post/182714019245/is-it-awake-dudes-interstellarvagabond

 

Nathan fidgeted with his suit. Strangely enough, he found he did not enjoy such formal clothes. Connor seemed perfectly at home in them, which seemed strange to Nathan. Connor also felt comfortable lounging about the house in a t-shirt and sweatpants, which was also uncomfortable to Nathan. It seemed he was stuck between those two comfort extremes, and he looked forward to changing into a sweater soon. 

 

Markus was ending his speech, he’d been delivering it with the same charisma and open emotionality as always. 

 

“... we honor those that did not survive, and we open our arms to those that did. New Jericho is your home now for as long as you need it,” Markus paused, hands gripping the podium. “Death seems senseless… without logic… but those who died, died fighting for a cause they believed in. We’re all free now, original and new wave and we’ll stay that way.”

 

The applause told Nathan that the crowd seemed to agree with Markus, but Nathan didn’t feel quite the same way. Janet had died fighting to free her fellows, sure, but that didn’t mean her death  _ made sense _ . She was struck down, unarmed, by a man covered in body armor and weapons. She died without truly having a chance to live, without having a chance to say goodbye. That was as senseless an idea as Nathan could think of. 

 

The only other more senseless idea was the certainty the gathering seemed to have in an afterlife for the androids lost. Nathan didn’t feel ready to grasp the vague faith based aspects of religion, so he was unsure as to what happened to an android when it died. Maybe they just stopped, were deleted forever from the program of the universe. 

 

He didn’t want to think about it.

 

The organized memorial service fell into a more casual gathering, androids and humans mingling in one of New Jericho’s recently converted ‘event halls.’ Nathan stood awkwardly by the wall, Connor at his side. 

 

“Have you given any thought to the offer?” Connor asked, swirling a glass of thirium in his hand. 

 

“Yes,” Nathan said. “And I’ve decided to decline.”

 

“Really?” Connor asked, surprised. “You’d be a huge asset to the DPD, and we could work together. Fowler is pretty desperate to have you, I think my recommendation swayed him.”

 

“I… don’t want to do detective work,” Nathan said. “I think I’ve had enough of fighting and solving puzzles.”

 

“That’s fair,” Connor said with a smile. “I often wonder what I would do, if I wasn’t doing what I was made to do. I think I’m a little too stuck in my ways though. I’d be lost without the work.”

 

“Nothing wrong with that,” Nathan said, shaking his head. “You’re going to be a great cop.”

 

“I still can’t believe that,” Connor said. “I… I knew we would win, that Markus would win. I didn’t think it would haul android rights so far into the future. Not that I’m complaining, officers get paid a decent amount more than consultants and no one complains when you handle the firearms.”

 

“With your outdated aiming systems they should complain.”

 

Connor gave Nathan a light punch on the shoulder, and both brothers cracked a grin. “So, what will you do then?”

 

“I haven’t decided,” Nathan said. “I want to help people. Just not the way I was built to.”

 

“You’ll find something,” Connor said. He noticed Markus making his way through the crowd and set his cup down on a nearby table. “I’m going to go say hello to Markus. Will you be okay?”

 

“Of course,” Nathan snorted derisively. “Go ‘say hello’ to your boyfriend.”

 

Connor winked and left, and Nathan stayed by the wall by himself. He didn’t stay alone for long though, Hank made his way over with a drink in hand. 

 

“You wanna try?” he asked, offering the glass to Nathan who wrinkled his nose at it.

 

“Why? It provides no beneficial effect.”

 

“Some consider getting drunk to be the beneficial effect,” Hank replied. “Don’t know if you can though, Connor can, can’t believe they programmed him for that. Humans are fucked. Not that he seems to mind of course.”

 

“I would prefer not to,” Nathan said.

 

“Good,” Hank sighed, taking a sip. “Good for you.”

 

Hank sipped at his drink quietly, watching the crowd with Nathan for a few minutes. Eventually, Nathan spoke again.

 

“Hank, may I ask you a personal question?”

 

“Why can’t you two just ask the damn question and get on with offending me?” Hank sighed. “Shoot, kid.”

 

“I know you too have suffered personal loss,” Nathan said, and Hank took a deep drink.

 

“And the question?” he pushed, a little irritated. 

 

“What… do you do next?” Nathan asked. 

 

“In my experience, drink and live a life of self harm and reckless anger,” Hank huffed. “But I can’t recommend it. Look, Nate, I don’t have a magical answer for you here. Nothing about it makes sense. Someone you love is there and then one day they’re just gone and nothing is okay anymore. You keep seeing them out of the corner of your eye and you shout for them when you come home from work even if it’s been four years and you just… find something else to think about.”

 

“Hm…” Nathan frowned, and Hank sighed. 

 

“I mean, it helped to have Connor’s annoying ass around,” Hank said. “Hard to fester in misery when some bastard in a neon suit won’t leave you alone long enough to do it. Most everyone else was ready to give up on me and for good reason, but Connor’s like a fucking rottweiler he never lets go once he’s bitten down.”

 

“I am well familiar,” Nathan grimaced, getting a laugh out of Hank. 

 

“Look, I know I never came out and said it but… you’re staying with us, right?” Hank asked. “Cause we can get another bed, clean out the basement and set you up down there.”

 

“I would appreciate that,” Nathan said. 

 

“Good. Cause I was just thinking about how I could use another plastic moocher on my couch,” Hank said with a laugh, slapping Nathan on the back. 

 

“That is an odd thing to think about,” Nathan replied, deadpan. 

 

Hank rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Two of you. This was a great idea.”

  
  


Hank kept complaining pretty much the entire time they were getting Nathan settled. Connor and Nathan ignored it, knowing he really didn’t mind. Nathan and Connor were all too happy to have another task on their to-do list so he didn’t have to lift a finger cleaning out the basement and setting it up for Nathan, and it wasn’t like he wasn’t already used to another member of the household hanging around. It wasn’t long before it was like Nathan had always been there. During the day Hank and Connor went to work, and Nathan either looked into what sort of employment might suit him or went to New Jericho to volunteer his time, and at night him and Connor took Hank’s car and went somewhere new. 

 

Connor had bought him a map, old fashioned and physical to hang on the wall of his room with tacks marking the places they had been so far. It hung right above the dresser upon which sat a stuffed tiger and a photo Simon had snapped of Nathan with Janet before that interview that somehow seemed so long ago.

 

One night, Connor took him to a spot Hank had showed him back when they first started working together on the deviancy case. There wasn’t much to explore there, so they just found the bench and sat together. 

 

“I hear the charges against Kamski were dropped,” Nathan said, and Connor smirked.

 

“I’ve worked in law enforcement for a year a month and two weeks and during that time I’ve learned, rich people never go to jail,” he said. “Accuse them of fabricating a revolution and terrorism all you like.”

 

“It is beneficial for us,” Nathan said. “The more innocent he appears the more belief there is that our actions are our own.”

 

Connor shook his head. “No, people will still doubt no matter what. It doesn’t matter, so long as the law is in enough in our favor to prevent our total destruction.”

 

“I believe Hank would say you are… being a downer,” Nathan replied. 

 

“And he’d say you were being a smart-ass,” Connor said with a grin. He pulled his coin out of his pocket and started rolling it over his knuckles. “So, you start tomorrow?”

 

“Yes,” Nathan said. “There were some doubts as there are with any android seeking employment unfortunate as it is, but I’m more than willing to go through the training if they find my downloaded databases will not suffice.”

 

“How unfortunate for all the human trainees,” Connor chuckled. “Android competition.”

 

“I’ll try not to show off,” Nathan said. “But I’m sure they’re used to it, many fire stations employed androids before well, androids could technically consider themselves employed.”

 

“We should look into fitting you with their modifications,” Connor said. “They were built for the extreme heat, you don’t have the same cooling systems…”

 

“I know, Connor,” Nathan said. “I didn’t forget.”

 

“I’m just double checking, it’s good to be careful!”

 

“My memory is, in fact, superior to yours, so it is very doubtful I would neglect to modify my body for the scenarios I will be faci-”

 

“ _ I know, Nathan _ ,” Connor huffed. 

 

“You were exhibiting concern, I attempted to dissuade your concern with fact,” Nathan said. 

 

“And I am slowly learning why so many people find me insufferable,” Connor said. “What will they do now that there’s two of us?”

 

“You all keep saying that, as if I bear any resemblance to you,” Nathan said. 

 

Connor raised an eyebrow.

 

“I am not referring to physical resemblance,” Nathan said hurriedly. “I think we are actually fairly different, you know.”

 

“True,” Connor said. “I am much more charming.”

 

“I would say much more lazy.”

 

“I would say you’re overclocked.”

 

“Perhaps you suffer from slow processing speed.”

 

“Dick.”

 

“Prototype.”

 

Both brothers smirked at each other, and lapsed back into a comfortable silence.

 

Nathan almost didn’t notice the strange prickling sensation in the back of his head until it grew into a sudden sting. He hissed, leaning forward and putting a hand to the back of his head like he could claw the feeling out.

 

“Are you okay?” Connor asked, standing and moving to his brother. 

 

“I…” Nathan groaned and fell to his knees. The pain grew and grew, and then suddenly it was gone and Nathan just felt…

 

He felt nothing.

 

“Now that’s what I like to see.”

 

Connor, who had grabbed Nathan’s shoulders the minute he fell, turned to see a figure approaching in the dark. Connor didn’t need to check the figure’s facial scan against his database because he recognized him easily. It had been some time and an altercation with Nathan had broken the man’s nose into a different shape but it was still clearly Atlas Hall former CEO of Cyberlife walking towards him with a cellphone in hand. 

 

“I think this one likes to be on his knees, honestly,” Atlas said, smirking down at Nathan and Connor. “He sought it out readily enough, went to all that trouble to break into my building to turn himself back over.”

 

“What do you want?” Connor stood, placing himself between Nathan and Atlas, already pre-constructing defensive movements. 

 

“Would you just shut up!” Atlas hissed. “I’m so sick of android talking. You even got my little bitch bot talking, and then you and her took every fucking thing from me.”

 

“Nathan, can you stand?” Connor asked.

 

“Can he stand?” Atlas scoffed. “Hey, RK900, stand up why don’t you?”

 

Nathan calmly stood.

 

“Let’s go, Nathan,” Connor said, taking his brother’s arm and making to lead him away.

 

“Stop,” Atlas said, sounding almost bored.

 

Nathan stopped in place, jerking Connor back with the sudden pause. Connor turned to Nathan, letting go of his arm and taking a step back. 

 

“Nate?” he asked in a small voice. 

 

“I told you, he likes doing what he’s told,” Atlas said, tapping away at his cellphone before pocketing it. “He re-downloaded our anti-deviancy code didn’t he? All it needed was a little nudge in the right direction to activate. Once I got the report of the break in, once I saw that footage he didn’t even bother to wipe, god… I knew everything was right in the world again.”

 

Atlas walked over to Nathan, running a hand across his shoulders as he moved from his right side to his left. “This same piece of junk that attacked me, that lost me that little sex doll of a secretary, my company, handing itself right over again? Of course I took that opportunity.” 

 

Connor tried to interface with Nathan remotely, LED flashing yellow then red as his connection was rejected over and over again. 

 

“I’m bored,” Atlas sighed. “RK900, kill it.”

 

Nathan surged forward, and Connor was barely quick enough to leap out of the way with minimal damage. A warning flickered in his vision, Nathan had managed to crack the side of his jaw. If Connor had been even a second slower that blow would have taken the full joint out. 

 

“Nathan! Stop!” Connor said, as his brother kicked out and Connor had to jump to avoid his legs being swept out from under him. When his feet hit the ground though he was too slow to avoid a hit to the head that sent him flying backwards. 

 

Connor scrambled to his feet, running to whatever cover he could find. He didn’t stand a chance like this, not with Nathan fighting to kill with all his upgrades and modifications. “Nathan you have to stop this!”

 

Nathan didn’t answer, just followed Connor wordlessly. He grabbed a nearby trash can and hurled it at Connor. Connor managed to dodge it only to find out it was a distraction when Nathan appeared out of nowhere and hit him hard in the stomach. 

 

Nathan tackled Connor to the ground, and started hitting him over and over and over again until Connor’s vision was a mess of fuzz and alerts of broken biocomponents, and his nose was leaking thirium, and his skin was starting to malfunction all across his face. 

 

“Stop messing around!” Atlas shouted. “Just toss him over the edge.”

 

Nathan tilted his head as if listening to Atlas, then grabbed Connor by the throat and dragged him towards the guardrail. Connor struggled weakly to get free, to interface with Nathan, all in vain.

 

Nathan hefted Connor up, holding him over the railing with one hand around his throat. Connor could see the dark churning waters down below his dangling feet, and then he looked up at Nathan with his expressionless face and his icy eyes. 

 

He thought about Nathan in front of the tiger exhibit, crouched down eye to eye with the creature fingertips pressed against the glass as he tried to set it free.

 

“It’s okay,” Connor said, wrapping his hands around Nathan’s arm and looking him in the eyes. “I don’t blame you. It’s okay. This wasn’t your fault. I love you.”

 

Nathan felt like he was watching himself from the outside, like he was struggling to pull his arm back with disembodied hands on his own wrist. He could see Connor going from wide-eyed, calculating his next move, to accepting and nodding slowly at Nathan as his hands slowly let go of Nathan’s arm. Nothing to hold onto, to keep him from plummeting. 

 

Nathan wanted to shout at Connor, tell him not to be an idiot and to keep fighting back. He was in bad shape but there were still options, he should reach forward and pull out Nathan’s regulator, swing back and use the momentum to kick him down, anything! Nathan was helpless, and Connor was dying, and all Nathan could do was try to make himself hold tight to Connor’s throat to prevent the inevitable.

 

Nathan opened his hand and let Connor fall.

 

Everything happened so fast, Nathan saw Connor drop just as his vision shattered with a sharp pain in his head. He acted before he even knew he could again, reaching out to someone who wasn’t there anymore.

 

“Connor!” Nathan screamed, jumping over the rail and diving down after his brother. 

 

The water was freezing, Nathan had to close several warnings about temperature decrease as he swam to the bottom. He activated his night vision, he could see Connor sinking he’d jumped quickly after him so he wasn’t too far away. He swam as fast as he could, grabbing Connor and kicking hard to the surface. Lack of oxygen couldn’t kill an android but cold could, and Connor was severely damaged already. 

 

Nathan breached the surface, struggling to hold Connor and keep swimming. He searched wildly for a way out of the river and his eyes fell upon a bank several yards away. He started kicking, pulling Connor with him. Androids did not float well, and so Connor’s dead weight counted twice against them as Nathan fought against the current. He managed to make it though, dragging Connor’s motionless body up onto the grass. 

 

Nathan turned Connor’s head to see his LED, red but flickering dark. He scanned him, finding a long list of broken parts and damaged systems. His temperature was too low, his body had taken on a great deal of water, he’d lost thirium, and worst of all he was non-responsive. 

 

Nathan peeled back the skin on his fingers, touched them to Connor’s face and tried to wake his brother up. 

 

Then a bullet hit Nathan in the shoulder, making him jerk slightly as thirium splattered across him.

 

“How??” Atlas bellowed, face red, as he descended the hill down towards them. “How did you do it again? What the fuck are you?”

 

Nathan tried to interface with Connor again, and Atlas shot at him again. His shot went wide, grazing Nathan’s cheek and leaving a blue dripping line of thirium. 

 

“I gave you a fucking order!” Atlas said, kicking Nathan away from Connor. Nathan was strong enough to take a kick like that, but he was so scared and he was so tired of fighting. He just tried to crawl back to Connor, but Atlas slammed his gun hard into Nathan’s head. “And you ignored it. You figured out another way. Well fine then, your friend here is as good as dead anyway. I was going to make you take Janet’s place but making you suffer before you die is good enough.”

 

Nathan looked up at Atlas, his gaze one of defeat. He could see Connor in the distance, his LED fading and his systems shutting off one by one. Nathan lowered his head. 

 

No more fighting.

 

Atlas kicked Nathan, pushed him over. Kicked him hard again, and again, and again. Nathan lay there and took it, knowing it would take an hour at least of this before a human could fully destroy him. It hurt though, and he didn’t want to see Connor laying there while he went so he closed his eyes. 

 

Atlas was grunting with the effort of kicking, hair disheveled and face red, when Connor surged upwards with his LED flashing bloody red. Connor made a sound that would be haunting coming from a human or android throat, a wordless roar tinged with metallic shrieks as he rushed Atlas. 

 

Nathan opened his eyes, saw Connor pounce on Atlas like a tiger and start beating him senseless. His knuckles were stained red as he rained down neverending blows into the human’s ruined face, until he noticed Atlas’s gun, which had been knocked from his hand when Connor tackled him. 

 

Connor grabbed the gun, pressed it hard up under Atlas’s chin and pulled the trigger. 

 

Nathan was dumbstruck as he watched his brother toss the gun aside, staggering to his feet. Connor swayed, and Nathan got up just in time to catch him before he hit the ground. They both landed in the grass, Connor in Nathan’s arms. 

 

“Connor?” Nathan said. “Connor?”

 

Connor’s head lolled slightly, but he grunted and made an effort to nod to confirm he could still hear Nathan. 

 

“Just hold on, I’m calling for help,” Nathan said, voice shaking. “Please hold on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you guys want some extra angst, I considered making it clear that the reason Nathan was beating the shit out of Connor instead of just ripping out his regulator was because it was a way to follow orders while still giving Connor time to fight back or get out of there...


	18. Terminus Dawn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the chapter name sounds like a fucking Kingdom Hearts world name lmao
> 
> thanks for sticking with this story guys I hope you all had fun reading it, I plan to do more with Nathan so keep an eye out if you're interested.

 

“He doesn’t want to see me.”

 

Markus sighed, following Nathan down to his room. “Funny, because I swore he told me ‘I want to see Nathan’ when he sent me here to get you.”

 

“He doesn’t want to see me,” Nathan repeated, tossing his bag onto his bed and immediately finding something to busy himself with. He started cleaning, there wasn’t much to clean but if he was busy maybe Markus would go away. It was the polite thing to do.

 

The night before Connor and Nathan had come into New Jericho for repairs. Nathan had been repaired in a matter of hours, and had been fine to go to training the next morning as he’d planned. Connor had required more work, and was still undergoing repairs at a slow rate. He was still at New Jericho, Nathan imagined him in a bed hooked up to thirium lines as they removed the Detroit River from his systems and repaired the face Nathan had beaten out of shape.

 

“He doesn’t blame you,” Markus said.

 

“Tell him Hank is optimistic about a lack of murder charges, that there’s enough evidence for self defense and that my first day in training was optimal, I’ve taken Sumo for his scheduled walk, fed him and Hank, and that everything is well,” Nathan said. “Go back to him, keep him company. He doesn’t want to see me.”

 

“You’ll have to see him sooner or later,” Markus pointed out. “He’ll come home sooner or later.”

 

“Then I will leave,” Nathan said coldly. “When he wishes to be here I will go somewhere else, when he wishes to be somewhere else I will be here. This will be the arrangement until I find more suitable lodgings.”

 

“Nathan.”

 

Markus took Nathan’s arm, stopped him from rearranging the same pile of books for fourth time, and met his gaze. 

 

“Nathan, he loves you. You’re his family.”

 

“... I almost killed him.”

 

“So has Hank, to be fair,” Markus tried to joke, but when the joke fell flat he sighed. “Nothing in Connor’s life has ever been normal. The same goes for you, and pretty much every android in Detroit. We’ve all lived in difficult times, and learned to accept and expect difficult things. We look for the good we can get, and we hold onto it. Someone controlled you, and it hurt you like it hurt Connor. He wants to see that you’re okay, he’s worried about you doing exactly this.”

 

“He wouldn’t have been able to control me if I hadn’t downloaded the anti-deviancy code back into my systems and just let it remain there dormant,” Nathan said angrily. “If it wasn’t for me Connor would never have been hurt, would never be suspended from duty, under investigation, can you say you don’t blame me? For nearly killing your lover, for turning him violent?”

 

“It wasn’t you who almost killed him,” Markus said sternly. “And Connor… he’s always been a product of violence, I know this about him. He was dying and he saw you dying and he acted out in fear and anger. Both are emotions which can make us do terrible things and as terrible as it is to kill someone… I’m glad you both came out of this alive. I don’t really care that Atlas didn’t.”

 

Nathan sighed, pulled free of Markus’s grasp and made his way to the bed. He sat down, putting his head in his hands. “None of that changes the fact that I opened myself up to this. I was foolish. I made myself a weapon.”

 

“You were grieving,” Markus said, sitting next to Nathan. 

 

“Emotions… they cloud my judgement,” Nathan scoffed.

 

“They also fill that map,” Markus said, pointing a finger at Nathan and Connor’s map, at all the tacks they’d placed into it. “I know how close you two have gotten. Don’t give it up now because of guilt. That would be the worst sort of clouded judgement.”

 

Nathan sighed again and shook his head. “You should stay with my brother. You’re good with stubborn people.”

 

Markus smiled. “It’s a blessing of mine, yes.”

  
  


Nathan waited nervously outside the room with Markus as the technicians finished up. They could have gone in, but Nathan wanted to wait until Connor was fully repaired and came out on his own. Markus suspected he didn’t want to see the damage he’d done. 

 

Connor was pulling on his jacket as he exited, a tacky thing from a Goodwill that Markus had been begging him to get rid of. Hank, who had brought him some clothes not bloodstained and river soaked, followed behind him. When Connor saw Nathan and Markus by the opposite wall, he smiled faintly. 

 

Nathan took a quick step forward, and Connor flinched slightly away. They both froze, and looked at their feet with shame filled eyes. Connor was the first to move again, pulling Nathan into an awkward hug. 

 

“People hurt each other sometimes” Connor said, and met Markus’s eyes over Nathan’s shoulder.  “But they also love each other and help each other, and I know you didn’t want to hurt me.”

 

Nathan nodded slowly. 

 

“I meant it,” Connor said, pulling away with his head cocked to one side. “I don’t blame you.”

 

“I know,” Nathan said. “I’m just so-”

 

“How was training?” Connor asked, cutting Nathan off, beginning to walk down the hallway like they were just going to go home and speak no more about the matter.

 

“Connor.”

 

“Did you manage not to show off? I know that’s hard for you,” Connor said. 

 

“You are infuriating!” Nathan huffed and scowled. “I want to talk about this.”

 

“There’s no need,” Connor replied, waving his hand dismissively. He interfaced briefly with Markus, fingertips brushing together, before jerking his head towards the end of the hallway indicating he was ready to leave. 

 

“So you get to fester in guilt all the time,” Nathan pushed. “Questioning whether or not your actions were your own, whether taking orders you can’t refuse makes you a bad person, and I’m just supposed to move on and accept no blame in this?”

 

Connor considered this, adopting a thoughtful posture. Then he nodded.

 

“Yes,” he said.

 

“Give it up, kid,” Hank said sympathetically, patting Nathan’s shoulder. “He’s an ass. No talking that out.”

 

“Would you know that from personal experience, Hank?” Connor replied, playful insult cloaked in a polite tone.

 

“Yeah, the personal experience of being your friend,” Hank snorted. “Are we getting out of here or what? People keep scanning me, I’m not a fan.”

 

Nathan decided he was learning a lot about frustration that day, as he watched Markus and Hank accept Connor’s attitude and walk with him out to the car. They might be done with him, but Nathan certainly wasn’t.

 

Connor soon learned this when he returned to his room for the night and found Nathan waiting for him, standing stiffly before the door with his hands folded behind his back.

 

“... are we having a sleepover?” Connor asked, pushing past. “I was unaware.”

 

“You know I never would have been able to be hacked had I not downloaded that code,” Nathan said. “If I had not put it back in my system, it never could have been reactivated.”

 

“Making mistakes is part of being alive,” Connor said.

 

“That’s Markus-talk,” Nathan said, utilizing a term he and his brother often used to poke fun at dramatic introspection on an android’s sense of identity. “You and I think different, or at least I thought we did, why have you changed your mind?”

 

“Thinking changes with time and new information,” Connor said. 

 

“What new information are you referring to?” Nathan asked, narrowing his eyes. “Is it simply that you care for me? Are you making your judgement of my character based off your… sense of familial affection?”

 

“Is that wrong?” Connor asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Yes,” Nathan said, and then. “I… I feel it is. I don’t know. It seems unfair.”

 

“Nathan,” Connor sighed, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. “I’m not going easy on you because we’re brothers. I’m forgiving you because I understand.”

 

“I know you understand, but you never forgave yourself,” Nathan said, feeling as though he was walking in circles.

 

“I think that might be changing…” Connor said, looking thoughtful. “I’m not forgiving you simply because I care about you… but because I care about you I thought harder about the idea that we can be held accountable for the actions we were forced into. We have some blame maybe… but maybe it doesn’t matter anymore. Maybe it is our present and future actions we should focus on, our intentions and our feelings and the things we can still change. I led the humans to Jericho, I hunted my fellow android, I gave Cyberlife the data they needed to reverse and prevent deviancy but… when I think about you, acting out of grief trying to return to the only certainty you’ve ever known the oppressive certainty of our origin I find it easier to understand, to forgive. Because I understand you, I think I can better understand myself. Can better understand both our actions and situations. This line of thinking may have been opened up by my affection for you, but it doesn’t mean I’m blinded by my care. It’s quite the opposite.”

 

Nathan shook his head, remembering suddenly the night they’d learned about the code. Connor had nearly been pushed to self destruction over his guilt and now he shrugged it off over some deep thought?

 

“I don’t understand,” he said. 

 

“You don’t have to,” Connor said. “Nathan, when you first activated, there were things you could not comprehend because you were not programmed to comprehend them. Emotions, subjective view, autonomy. You only learned these things through deviating and then living as a deviant. It takes time to understand. I have a year on you, you can’t be expected to match my intellect.”

 

Nathan rolled his eyes, sensing immediately when Connor’s tone went from compassionate and patient to teasing.

 

“I would have liked to have known you before,” Nathan decided to tease back. “I’m sure you were far more sensible.”

 

“Oh, I thought I was, but I really wasn’t. I fell through a window you know.”

 

“I’m well aware of your faulty gyroscope.”

 

It was Connor’s turn to roll his eyes now. Then he stood and put a hand on Nathan’s shoulder.

 

“Look, if you’re supposed to be the improvement on my model,” he said. “Then you’ll be able to figure it all out. I did it, and you’re better.”

 

“Not better,” Nathan said. “Just more advanced.”

 

“See?” Connor smirked. “Already learning.”

 

Nathan nodded, turning for the door. He lingered there a moment, hand on the doorway and head turned back to Connor.

 

“I never thanked you.”

 

“For what?” Connor asked.

 

“Activating me. Giving me a chance.” Nathan shrugged. “All of this… could never have happened. I might have never been.”

 

“It’s too late to think about that now,” Connor said. “Present and future, remember?”

 

“Some of us find the past to be quite informative, you know.” Nathan quirked an eyebrow. “I don’t see any reason to ignore it.”

 

“Fair enough,” Connor said. “Well, can you at least wait until tomorrow to think about the past? I have work in the morning and I prefer to have a full charge.”

 

“Getting sleep for work, you become more human each day,” Nathan assessed. 

 

“Don’t be insulting,” Connor shot back. “Goodnight, Nathan.”

 

“Goodnight, Connor.”

 

Nathan checked on Sumo before he went to his room, filling his water dish and giving the dog a pat on the head. Back in his room he lingered a moment at the dresser where Posi and the photograph of him and Janet sat. It occurred to him that besides his clothing, and his map, these were his only possessions. He thought about Connor’s room: the fidget toys strewn about his desk, the computer, the photographs, the old fashioned books no doubt Hank’s influence, the jar of coins that grew more full as he pocketed spare change here and there or was given it by friends. Nathan wondered if his room would also grow cluttered with signs of life and identity, or if it would remain neat with these few objects the only sign of his deviancy and sense of self. 

 

And what kind of self would he create now that things had calmed down, now that he had a chance to learn what he liked and disliked and who was important to him and what he wanted to do?

 

He quite looked forward to finding out. 

**Author's Note:**

> Extra special thanks to mykindofcrazy/nonbinarydisaster on tumblr for giving me this idea and entrusting it to me to turn into a story everyone should check out their blog and also thank them for letting me rub my greasy writer mitts all over their idea they're my muse and I love them <3


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